


In the Space Between

by rivlee



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Space, F/F, F/M, M/M, Space Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-08
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-11-18 22:43:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/566089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivlee/pseuds/rivlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of ficlets in a Space AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Round of Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sisterwinchester on tumblr asked for Tell Me, Auctus/Duro. I thought it fit well in the Space!AU, even if Auctus wasn't so reluctant.

Auctus Sanna wondered what he’d gotten himself into some nights as he roamed the dark corridors of _The Boat_. This ship was a damn near relic, but he liked it. She felt lived in, homey, and safe in a way he hadn’t had in some time. Sure, it was awkward as hell sharing enclosed living spaces with Barca and the man that came after Auctus. He’d lived in worse places under worse conditions though. Besides, it wasn’t like this ship was without its charms. One was currently sprawled across a bench in the canteen now; flipping through his handheld dash like it was some sort of lifeline. 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Auctus asked Duro Stieber, one of the two brothers who owned this ship.

Duro looked up and gifted him with a wide smile. It was brighter than the flickering enviro-lights. That shouldn’t be allowed. 

“Aurelia’s back was bothering her again. I took over the piloting for a bit and now I’m too full of adrenaline to sleep.” Duro slid his feet off the bench and made room for Auctus. “Agron’s taken over. Hopefully we won’t crash.”

“Not with the amount of work and failsafe procedures I put in the engines' controls,” Auctus said. “Our departure was delayed so I could put in the manual overrides just in case one of you decided to crash this thing.” He walked off to one of the wall panels and popped it open, pulling out two of his hidden beers. “How is our dear Aurelia? Still insisting she doesn’t need Barca to medically induce her labor even though she’s three weeks past her due date?”

“It’s Aurelia,” Duro said. “As long as she and the baby are healthy no one is ever going to make her do anything.” He took one of the beers Auctus held out to him. “And how the hell did you pull this off?”

Auctus shrugged. “Certain inner-parts, their wires, and this hull make spots cooler than the actual food storage. It’s just a matter of finding the right spot.”

Interest sparkled in Duro’s eyes and Auctus realized in that one single second this was not going to end well for him. 

“Is that something you learned while working the mines? How does a man like you become all master tech and engineer when digging out ore at the ass-end of nowhere?”

Auctus shook his head as he sat down. He opened his beer with a quick flick of his wrist, a small distraction to avoid those curious and tempting eyes. “If we’re going to do this, it’s going to be proper,” he said. “A story for a story. Agreed?”

Duro held his hand out. “I’m down if you are.”

Auctus took the outstretched hand, already knowing he was going to regret this, and shook in agreement.

“So, you want me to go first?” he asked.

Duro shook his head. “It’s sort-of my ship so I should be polite. You ask me first.”

Auctus nodded. “Agreeable terms,” he said as he finally let go of Duro’s hand. “I am curious to know how Isla and Leon Stieber’s kids ended up in this life. They were pretty vocal leaders of the Resistance.”

Duro choked on his beer. “You knew my parents?” he sputtered out. “How old are you?”

Auctus internally sighed at the age crack. “A question for a question, remember? I know they were murdered, but I assumed you two would’ve gone to Lorenz.”

Duro’s jaw drop. “You’re really fucking terrifying.” He fiddled with the cap to his beer, callused fingers rolling the metal across the table. “We did go to Lorenz. He raised us with Saxa as if we were his own. He taught us everything, left his contacts, was going to take us out on the sky when the accident happened.” Duro’s face went dark. “He might still be alive if it wasn’t for my big fucking mouth.”

Auctus had hacked into Legiona’s files ages ago to discover how his old friend Lorenz, a former fucking admiral, could’ve died in a ship crash that took out half a satellite planet. It was no accident and he knew Lorenz had been on the same assassin’s list that saw his sister and brother-in-law killed. It was why Auctus came to this ship, even with Barca and Pietros present, to see that the heirs of Isla, Leon, and Lorenz’s legacy didn’t die from their own stupidity. 

Auctus cleared his throat. “From the reports it looked like a mechanical failure.”

“He was fucking targeted,” Duro said. “Fucking Nemetes, we took that bastard in like he was one of our own and then he throws us to the press and the politicians, blaming us for the burning and destruction of the Rhine Satellite. We couldn’t do anything but run and pray the people who knew our family believed our truth. The rest is history and all that bullshit.”

Auctus didn’t intend to start this night rehashing old painful memoires. He could’ve slapped himself for delving into a history he knew was dark and full of death. It still moved something within him though, to know that Duro felt such initial trust to share his past. 

“You all made your own way; that’s very admirable,” he said. “A lot of people would’ve gone into despair or thrown themselves at Legiona’s mercy.”

Duro snorted. “If you knew my parents and my uncle, then you know we’d never take aid from Legiona.”

He nodded in approval. Auctus always felt the same in his life. He was a child of the Dust Belt planets. They existed in a kind of No Man’s Land held neither by Legiona or whatever power faction rose up against them. Most favored the resistance movements because they willingly paid for the resources mined from the Dust Belt, unlike Legiona who threatened and demanded. Auctus always sided with the Resistance, even when he worked in a mine that favored Legiona and under Titus Batiatus, a man he respected, who also respected both sides. He played both of them as well; Gannicus and Oenomaus were sent to Legiona’s armies; Auctus and Barca to the Resistance’s Underground HQ, all with the same backing and training to try and get something like peace for the future. It was a shot in the dark that exploded in everyone’s faces, but at least more galaxies lay free from Legiona’s grasp than before. 

“It’s my turn now,” Auctus said. He braced himself for figuring out how to share enough of his past that wouldn’t get Duro killed. 

Duro’s smile was small even as his eyes gleamed with intent. “Where’d you get that necklace?”

“What?” Auctus asked as his hand unconsciously went to the stone pendant around his neck.

Duro’s dark eyes twinkled. “Not what you expected? I don’t always like being predictable. It’s a nice necklace; pretty stonework.”

Auctus looked down and smiled. It was a smooth gray stone and meant more to him than most high-paying credit chips. “My daughter gave it to me,” he said.

Duro did spew his beer that time. He hacked out a cough and cleared his throat. “What?” he croaked out.

“My daughter, Kore. When she found me, she gave it to me. It’s a tradition back on the planet where I’m from. The day you’re born a family member gives you a stone to carry with you as a sort of protection. I wasn’t there for her birth, didn’t even know about her, but when my Kore-girl found me she said I needed it more than she did. I haven’t taken it off since.”

“You have a daughter,” Duro repeated.

Auctus nodded. “Yeah, she’s well, not that much younger than you.” He laughed at the lost look on Duro’s face. “I was a confused kid. I didn’t know who or what I wanted for a long time and before I headed off to my first mining job at thirteen, one of the local girls of Adonis saw me off. Kore was born nine months later. Twelve years after that she tracked me down on her own.”

Duro laughed. “She sounds fucking amazing.”

“She is,” Auctus said, aware of the pride in his voice. He didn’t get to talk about Kore often, never felt safe enough to, but there was something about this ship and its crew that brought some of his own innocence back.

Duro drained the rest of his bottle and leaned back. “So, next question?”

Auctus had many and knew they couldn’t all be answered this night, or even this year. Only one was really in his mind now. He knew how he coped with a new life far from home. He wondered how Duro did it.

“What’s your favorite book?” he asked.

Duro frowned. “I don’t really have one. My favorite stories are all ones passed down by my family.”

A family that now only held his brother, his cousin, and close friends. Duro should have more than that for the really hard times. 

Auctus stood and gathered the empty bottles before putting them in the resource bin. “Can’t argue with that,” he said as he cleaned up the evidence of their presence. “Still, you should have a favorite book.” He held out his hand to Duro. “Come on, I’ll show you mine.”

Duro didn’t hesitate to crowd into Auctus’ space. His face was suddenly serious as he took in Auctus. “This could get dangerous,” he softly said.

Auctus’ eyes lingered on those lips as they fought between a smile and a frown. Duro wasn’t wrong and if Auctus still cared about his better sense, he’d back out now.

“We’ll just have to see where it goes,” he said instead.


	2. Another Day Older

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For an Anon who asked for Unbind Me, Barca/Pietros

It was late when the door to their quarters slid open and Barca finally stumbled inside. He was worn out, body and soul, and Pietros held his arms open to receive the the tired bulk of his body. 

The ship had almost crashed. It would’ve if Auctus hadn’t used his years of experience to get a sabotaged dead engine working again. A moment of triumph to be sure, especially since it ended with Auctus, a stomach wound, and Duro screaming himself hoarse as he called for help. Now there was a dead traitor of a passenger in their small morgue; Duro’s throat had actually bled from his yells; Auctus was closer to death than from it last time Pietros checked; Aurelia had _finally_ gone into labor at the most opportune time; and Barca looked ready to drop. 

When Barca promised him a space adventure, Pietros never imagined this scene.

“Is he?” Pietros asked.

Barca kissed Pietros’ cheek before letting out a slow, deep breath. “He lives; the stubborn fuck. He just had to add evisceration to his list of death-defying wounds.”

Pietros didn’t know all of the history between Barca and Auctus, but he knew enough to realize they’d always be connected. It was a blessing to know Barca, who had already lost so many, would have Auctus for a little while more. Pietros worried during their first month of living with all of them in close quarters. He was sure Barca, even legally bound to Pietros, would return to Auctus. It seemed impossible to believe Barca’s claim that Barca would never love Auctus the way he needed and that Auctus would never be enough for Barca. It only took him a week on board with the two of them to see the truth. They were well suited to each other; they just weren’t what the other needed. 

It warmed Pietros to think that someone finally deemed more than enough; that he was both wanted and needed. 

“How’s Aurelia?” he asked. He rubbed one of Barca’s hair twists between his fingers. It was going dry which meant a treatment was in their future. Hopefully life could sort itself out long enough for Barca to sit down and relax for a hot oil treatment. Taking time for hair to dry and medical emergencies involving bodily fluids didn’t work well together. 

“She’s well,” Barca said with a genuine smile. “Pissed at Donar for almost crashing, but already bouncing back from childbirth of all things. Janus; that’s what they named him.”

Pietros nodded. “Varro’s yell of joy blew up the comms.”

Barca laughed. “Janus is strong, like his mother. For Varro’s sake I hope he is slightly less fierce. That man has no chance.”

“He never did,” Pietros said. He liked Varro; he brought a certain liveliness to the whole ship, even though he was a man with his own troubles. Such debts had seen them to this life and Pietros knew, if Aurelia hadn’t joined him long ago, Varro would’ve been left for dead on some dusty satellite years ago. 

They were an assorted crew of misfits. It made Pietros love this ship and its crew even more.

He nudged Barca forward and unwound the band holding his hair back. Barca sighed in thanks and his shoulders finally dropped, his whole body relaxed as the tension melted out. Barca wouldn’t sleep tonight; Pietros knew it wasn’t worth even trying to coax him to bed. There were three patients that needed watching over; four if they included Duro. Barca would only lightly doze until the comms went off for the next round of checks. 

Pietros still pulled out the long scarf to wrap up Barca’s hair just in case the impossible happened.

“Don’t let me fall into a deep sleep,” Barca said. He yawned. “No more than three hours.”

“Of course,” Pietros said as he tucked all the locks in and tied the scarf up. “Or more unless there’s an emergency.”

“Three hours,” Barca repeated. 

He was already starting to drift off and Pietros thought it best not to argue with him. He swiped his hand over the lighting panel at the side of their cot and sat back against the wall as the lights dimmed. Barca made it his duty to watch over all of them; Pietros gladly decided to be the one to watch over him.


	3. Begin Again

Tomis was a barren wasteland of a planet that no one with good money or decent sense stayed on for long. Sure, it had fresh air, sandy beaches, and clear oceans, but that was it. Even the docking stations were held together by thermal tape and hope, rigged out of scrap metal and a few donations of proper space port equipment from a century ago. 

What it _did_ have was plenty of fuel to run Duro and Agron’s rust bucket of a ship. Tomis was nothing but a pit stop for most travelers but hell, Duro like to think of it as their third home, following the ship and Jutland, of course. Their asses had permanent impressions on the seats of Tomis’ one bar. 

It wasn’t fuel that brought them here this time. No, it was something more rare and delicate. At least that’s the bullshit claims spouted in those ancient books Auctus kept hidden under his bunk. Agron was fucking infatuated over some informant sent their way by Gannicus. Duro popped his jaw as he raised his beer bottle. It still hurt like hell from the last time he had a run in with the asshole Captain of Capua. 

Fucking government dissenters. They get a little bit of rebellion and freedom in them and suddenly they think they know better than someone who’s been running in the underground shipping lanes since birth. 

Agron leaned over and dusted off Duro’s shirt. Duro shrugged him off. 

“You look like a slob,” Agron said. He tried to tie Duro’s braids back.

Duro felt a swift kick to the shin was a proper response. 

“What the fuck is your problem,” Agron growled.

Duro slammed his beer down. “What the fuck is yours? What’s with all this,” he said as her gestured to Agron’s clean clothes. “You cut your hair. You shaved. You, the man who once claimed razors are the weapon of evil, stands beardless.”

“Fuck you,” Agron said. He took a sip of his water and grimaced at the taste. “This tastes like ass.”

“Smells like it too,” Duro said. He batted the glass away. “Why are you drinking it then?”

“I want to make a good second impression,” Agron said. He tapped at the antiquated touch screen on the table and scrolled through a set of old gossip stories. “My first didn’t turn out well.”

“You don’t care about first impressions. Or second or third ones,” Duro said. He kicked Agron again. “You two have been talking over the comms at all hours. Don’t think I haven’t heard. I just hope it’s a secure channel. If word gets out that the Stieber Brothers are being reduced to lovesick fools, we’ll lose our reputation as hardened thugs.”

Agron was the first to break their staring contest. Their chuckles echoed through the empty bar. Lugo, the owner and bartender, didn’t even stir from his nap. 

“What’s the kid’s name again?” Duro asked.

“He’s the same age as you.” Agron dropped his eyes and smiled. “His name is Nasir.”

Agron said _Nasir_ in the same tone most people used when fervently praying to their gods. Duro knew that this so-called short trip to introduce Nasir to the outer-planet-ring would turn permanent. He could feel it. He pulled out his dash and typed a quick message to Auctus. They’d have to reallocate their resources until they found a decent planet or job for a supply run. Aurelia would be thrilled when Duro told her they’d picked up a new permanent tourist. Their pilot didn’t exactly welcome newcomers with open arms. More people meant more chances for betrayal. Agron, though, he had that look. That one Aurelia got when she looked at Varro or when Barca looked at Pietros; that one Duro knew he had when watching Auctus as he recalibrated their engines just for fun. 

He’d have to get used to this Nasir person.

“He’s late,” Duro said as he checked the time. Even by Galactic Standard, Nasir was a half-hour behind schedule. “That’s not promising, bro.”

“We both know the port’s dock breaks down at least twice a day here. I’m not worried.”

Duro decided not to comment on the fact Agron had bent a fork in half. 

There was a commotion as a whole hooded group came stumbling in through the door. It was enough to startle Lugo. Agron and Duro both pulled out their knives. The radiation waves around the planet made pulse guns useless; their knives were their old standard stand-bys. 

“It’s rude to carve up old friends,” Spartacus said as he pulled back his hood. 

“You’re supposed to be in Aedeva,” Agron said.

“That was our plan,” Mira said. She shook off her cloak and handed it to Donar at her side. “Until we came across some intel. Someone got their hooks in you. They sent a whole fleet of Legiona’s forces after you. They’re circling the planet right now.”

“Nasir,” Agron cursed under his breath.

Spartacus shook his head. “That’s what we thought. Aurelia was suspicious, as usual. Varro had us look into him. He was on his way, traveling under an assumed name with two companions. We think one of them ratted the other two out. Pietros and Varro have been tracing the comm lines. Dagan and Nasir, they’re being escorted to the prison transport pad for Casteddu.” He threw two transport beacons at them. “You two ready for a prison break?”

Duro exchanged a look with Agron. “It has been a good six sections since our last one.” He turned to Mira. “How is Naevia, by the way?”

“Just as fierce as ever,” Mira said. “We’ve borrowed a jumper from Gannicus. Sura’s standing by to intercept our transport signals. Aurelia’s going to be our get-away ride.”

“Which means Auctus is tinkering with the engines right now.” Duro frowned. “I hate missing that.”

“I’m sure he’ll put on a private reenactment for you later,” Donar said. “Enough talk, let’s go.” He nodded at Lugo who just winked and went back to sleep.

“Too bad your pretty clothes and clean face went to waste,” Duro said. He patted Agron’s cheek. “You looked nice.”

Agron shrugged. “Better not to live a lie, I guess. Let’s get this done. I’d rather have Nasir in one piece and without any prison tattoos.”

“I’m sure he’d agree.”

Duro took a deep breath and braced himself for the transport. He couldn’t wait to see what happened next. 

At least they were getting out of Tomis.


	4. Nights Are So cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir's runaway trip isn't quite going according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second in a series of Space AU ficlets.

“This fucking sucks,” Chadara said as she kicked at the laser bars of their transport cell. She hissed as her boot sizzled. “Fucking Ashur. Someone needs to throw him out into a vacuum. If anyone deserves to be ripped apart by space it’s him.”

“Agreed,” Dagan said from the neighboring cell. 

Nasir didn’t disagree. This was supposed to be an easy getaway; the perfect excuse to get lost from their boss’ grasp. He volunteered to escort Chadara to Athens, planning to leave her with Dagan. He’d then slip out to the shoddy transport pod that’d take him to Tomis. He’d go to Agron and freedom from Legiona’s ties. It’d been his plan for months. Ever since his trip to the mines, where he’d inadvertently aided a rebellion, he’d been ready to flee and fight. He’d seen beyond the false veneer of promises. He’d seen just who, what, and how, their beautiful cosmopolitan planets were funded and kept safe. He’d taken the peek into the worst parts of the underbelly and found his whole world changed. It was hard, to recognize that he’d spent so many years sheltered and catered to while out here, in this deep darkness far removed from the artificial light of the urban cosmos, people were being forced to work to their deaths. It was slavery in all but name. Resources, food, money, and medicine held hostage. A lifetime of work paid for by a government’s pittance. 

Nasir wasn’t childish or idealistic enough to believe the universe was fair. This wasn’t about fair, it was about right. They’d be nothing but an irritant in the eye of the government but they’d be sure to make it a constant burn. 

Fucking Ashur. Nasir wondered just how many credits he banked for selling them out. 

He tried to brush down the wrinkles in his shirt. It wouldn’t matter now, what with the burn holes and blood stains. He really liked this one, too. It fit him just right. He picked it with reason, tailored enough to be enticing without turning indecent. 

His fists clenched as he thought about Agron. Nasir was beyond late for their meeting. Would Agron think he abandoned him? Would he think Nasir just didn’t care? Would he think Nasir was using him? Nasir’s gut churned at the possibilities. He suddenly craved the rumbling sound of Agron’s voice. 

“I’m sorry your star-crossed lovers escape plan didn’t work,” Chadara said. 

Nasir laughed. “Well, we’re not dead yet. Who knows, maybe the impossible will happen?”

Chadara looked at him, bruises on her face and hair undone, and smiled. “If anyone would stage a rescue attempt, I think it’d be your Agron.”

Nasir didn’t dare say Agron wasn’t his. After one disastrous meeting and thousands of hours spent on vidcomm links, he knew Agron, could feel the connection there. 

“It’s a thought at least, to keep me warm in the night.”

Chadara dropped down on the ground beside him. She rested her head on Nasir’s shoulder while Nasir wrapped an arm around her back. A familiar position for them, ever since they were street kids running around the wreckage of Cumae’s streets after the war. 

“Some of us are trying to sleep,” Dagan said. “I’d like to get a decent rest before we descend into the bowels of Casteddu’s jail.”

“I don’t know if we’re going to get out of this one,” Nasir said.

“Have faith, pretty boy,” Chadara said.

Nasir laughed into the soft strands of her hair as the whirring of the transport lulled them to sleep. 

**********************

It was raining on Nasir’s face. He blinked out of sleep. That wasn’t possible, the rain. They were on a transport in the middle of the Deep. He squinted in the lowlight of their cell’s bars. Sure enough, little bursts of water were seeping out of the top of their cell. 

He nudged Chadara. “Wake up, we’re taking on water.”

Chadara snorted. “We’re in the middle of space, Nasir. There’s no water.”

“Maybe their pipes burst,” Dagan said. “Water’s leaking into this one too.”

Chadara looked up. “That’s different.” She titled her head. “It’s controlled bursts. Like, someone is purposefully doing it.”

“It’s because someone is,” a familiar voice called from above them. 

“Agron,” Nasir whispered.

“Sorry, I’m a little late. I didn’t realize our meeting place had changed,” Agron said. 

“You two might want to huddle together down there. We’re going to try and remove the top of your cell from this end but Agron’s got a shitty grip,” another voice said.

“Shut the fuck up, Duro,” Agron hissed. 

Chadara winked at him. “Not so star-crossed.”

“I’ve spent more time talking to him than half the people we’ve worked with over the past five years. I did think about this, Chadara,” he said.

“Yeah, did you think about Ashur?” Dagan asked. 

More water hissed through and Dagan started cursing in at least seven different tongues as water rushed into his cell. There was a wrenching sound and suddenly artificial light spilled into their section. 

Nasir and Chadara both shifted to see who was coming through. He spotted a woman with long blonde hair.

“You’re Dagan, yeah?” she asked. 

“Normally I’d say something about who’s asking but since you’re saving me I’ll spare the bullshit. Yeah, I’m Dagan. Who are you?”

“Saxa. You’re coming with us. So is your friend, Nasir.”

“Hey,” Chadara yelled. “There are three of us.”

Saxa whipped her head around to look at them. “You were the one who sold them out?”

Chadara jumped up before Nasir could stop her. She marched right over to the side closest to Dagan’s cell and stared Saxa down. “I most certainly was fucking not. Ashur did it. I was with them when we got flagged down and caught.”

Saxa gave her a very obvious once-over. “Well, I can see why our informants didn’t think you were traveling with them. You’re not exactly the type are you?”

“Excuse me,” Chadara said.

“Girls, more rescuing, less flirting,” Dagan said. He reached a hand out to Saxa. “Think you can lift me up?”

Saxa laughed. “Not even a challenge, big man.”

Dagan was gone in an instant.

“Why aren’t any of the guards responding?” Chadara asked. “This isn’t normal.”

“Do you _want_ us to go to prison?” Nasir asked.

“I’d like to know both my devils before choosing between them,” Chadara said.

There was another wrenching sound and then their cell filled with light and water. One second Nasir was huddled up with Chadara and the next he was being hauled to his feet with a transport beacon stuck to his arm. He was in bay of a jumper before he could even catch his breath. 

Nasir opened his eyes to find the smiling face of Agron leaning over him.

“Okay in there?” Agron asked. 

Nasir nodded. He couldn’t believe he was seeing those eyes again, that smile, here, in the flesh, not some pale imitation on the vid screens or his dash. The hair was different. Nasir couldn’t help it. He ran his fingers over the bare skin of Agron’s neck. “What did you do to your hair?”

“Oh,” Agron said. He ran a hand over the short strands. “I thought it was time for change. You know, didn’t want to be too distinctive or anything. What do you think?”

“It’s um,” Nasir swallowed his words. “It’s a good look on you,” he stuttered out. 

Nasir didn’t stutter when speaking to people. He wasn’t that type. Agron just made him tongue-tied. 

“Where are we?”

“On the way to my ship,” Agron said. He straightened up. “Duro’s shoving some decent cal-meals down your friends’ throats. Come; let us take you out meet the rest.”

“I’ve seen Saxa,” Nasir said. 

Agron grinned. “She’s just the start.”

He tugged the thermal Agron wrapped around him closer. “How did you get us out? Are we going to be followed?”

“We slipped sleeping gas into the air system of the guard’s quarters. We overrode the security footage and then used highly-powered water pressurized cutters to get you out.” Agron shrugged. “This isn’t our first prison break. They’re almost monthly at this point.”

Nasir was confused. “Wouldn’t that require more security?”

“Legiona’s not going to admit that their prison transport pods are being popped open by such low-tech means. Besides, most of the people held in them are there for misdemeanors at best. They just see fit to ship them off to prison planets. They figure everyone out here on the Rim is guilty and they’re not going to waste time on convening courts for a trial.” He tilted Nasir’s chin-up. “Still want to join us?”

Nasir smiled. He had no doubts.

 

**********************

The cabin of the jumper was filled to capacity. People were sitting on top of each other and Nasir couldn’t help but notice at least fifteen violations of the Legiona’s Standard Code for Jumper Piloting. 

Agron pointed. “Sura there is driving us until we get on the ship. Then we’ll make a break for it with a hyperspace jump. Spartacus, her husband standing over her and trying not to comment on how she’s braking too hard to the left, was the one who told us where you were.” Agron pointed to the other seat where a bulky man and a beatufiul dark-haired woman sat huddled over the comm link. “That’s Donar and Mira; they also greatly assisted in this venture.” 

A young man slid out from behind Agron with a huge grin on his face. “And I’m Duro, Agron’s long-suffering brother who has done nothing but listen to him talk about you for the past six months.”

Nasir gladly took the hand Duro held out. He was only a little surprised when he was pulled into a hug. 

“Aurelia’s signaling us,” Mira said. “She’s going to tug us in. Sura, give up the controls.”

“Please,” Donar said nicely. 

“You people are mad,” Dagan said. “I like it.”

“Oh, he’ll fit in perfectly,” Sura said. She studied Nasir and nodded. “Finally, someone makes this one clean-up.” She patted Agron’s chest. “Now if only we’d get your brother to do the same.”

“Hey, Auctus likes my hair like this,” Duro said.

“Maybe because it reminds him of Barca,” Sura said.

Spartacus hissed while Duro’s jaw clenched. Agron shook his head.

“That was just really fucking cruel,” Donar said. 

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s true,” Duro said as he slipped into one of the chairs. “After all, everyone here has known him longer than me.”

“I haven’t,” Nasir said. 

“Nor have we,” Chadara said as she held up Dagan’s hand.

“Don’t listen to Sura,” Saxa said. She kissed the top of Duro’s head. “She’s just mad we left the baby in Varro’s care.”

“I don’t want her learning how to gamble,” Sura said. “It’s a legitimate concern.”

Agron leaned down to whisper in Nasir’s ear. “Are you _sure_ you still want to run away with us?”

Nasir looked around the packed cabin. He’d just met these people. He didn’t know any of them, besides Agron, and it still felt right. 

“Can’t think of anywhere else to be,” Nasir said. “You’re the best offer in all the ‘verse, far as I can tell.”

******************************

Nasir didn’t quite know what he expected a pirate spaceship to look like but it was certainly something more fantastic than the one they approached. He’d seen merchant vessels that looked more impressive.

“She’s not much,” Agron said, guessing at his thoughts. “She’s home though.” 

Duro nodded. “Welcome to the boat.”

“What’s its name?” Dagan asked. 

“ _The Boat_ ,” Duro said.

“Your ship’s name is boat,” Chadara said.

Agro and Duro exchanged a shrug. “We couldn’t agree on anything else,” they said at the same time.

Nasir looked between the two of them. Agron and Duro were the closest siblings Nasir had met. Even in this short trip, he’d seen them move, think, and speak as one. He didn’t know Agron as just a brother. He wondered how it would go, how their dynamic would change with Nasir present. He didn’t want to tarnish it. 

“Uh-oh,” Donar said as they slid into the anchor bay. “Angry Auctus Alert.”

Nasir peered through the sphereshield to see one very topless, very angry, very built man glaring at them.

“I told you we should’ve brought him a present,” Saxa said. 

“We brought three new guests. His initiation ceremonies will be present enough,” Duro said.

“Get the hell out of that ship so I can pressurize the bay,” a woman’s voice rang out over the comm system. “And Duro, I suggest you get _really_ submissive. Auctus is fucking livid.”

Agron turned to Duro. “You did _tell_ him where we were going, right?”

Duro winced. “We were a little busy.”

“Duro,” Mira and Saxa groaned. 

“What, we were fighting a ticking clock. I didn’t think to send a note.”

“He’s going to decimate you,” Sura said.

Donar rolled his eyes. “They’re both going to love every minute of it.”

Chadara smacked Nasir on the back of the head. “Just what level of hell have you brought us to, Nasir?”

“Welcome to the Underworld,” Agron said with a mock bow. 

Spartacus marched back to the bay and lowered the hatch. “Everyone out. All must face their fate. No reason for Duro to delay his.”

The all filed out of the back. Nasir couldn’t help but feel like he was back at the orphanage waiting to receive punishment for something he didn’t know he’d done. 

“What the fuck were you thinking,” Auctus roared once the hatch was secured. He scooped Duro up and flung him over his shoulder. “You don’t fucking decide to go hijack a prison transport without fucking calling first. I had to find out from Aurelia. Do you know what the fuck that was like? One second you’re sending me messages mocking Agron’s lovesick moping in the bar and the next you are completely out of communication range. If you ever fucking do that to me again, Duro, I will beat your ass so hard the sub-zero temperatures of the Deep won’t be cold enough to cool the sting.”

Duro waved at them as Auctus hurriedly turned a corner in the direction of the sign that said _Engine Room_.

“He’s a little protective,” Agron said. 

“I can see that,” Nasir said.

“And I wasn’t lovesick moping in the bar,” Agron said.

“Of course not.” He tugged Agron’s hand into his own. “Will you show me your home?”

“Gladly,” Agron said. 

They both ignored the exaggerated gagging sounds as boots met metal and began the march to the upper-decks of the ship.

Agron tugged on Nasir’s arm and pulled him close. His lips hovered over Nasir’s. “First, let me show you our stock room.”


	5. Around the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For an anon on tumblr who wanted "Amuse Me" Chadara/Saxa

Life in a flying rust bucket wasn’t exactly glamorous or exciting, minus the ever present possibility of a crash landing, so Saxa took it upon herself to entertain their new crew members. Well, Dagan and Chadara at least; Agron was monopolizing all the Nasir time. She’d let that pass for another week or so, but after that, Nasir would get initiated just like all the rest of them. 

Duro had decided to take Dagan under his wing. It was working out well for the both of them, honestly. Dagan was learning the little ins-and-outs of ship life, specifically for _The Boat_ , the type of shit you would never find in an owner’s manual, and Duro had a friend who wasn’t intimately aware of his past from the get-go. Saxa hoped that would go smoothly, just this once, because Duro needed someone in his life with a fuck ton less emotional baggage than every other person around him. 

Chadara wasn’t adjusting as well as the others. It wasn’t a fault or a slight against her. Going from free life on a planet where you could see the sky and feel real wind on your skin to the compressed stale air of a ship? Yeah, no one handled that well. At least most of them had some experience ship-jumping before they came to live on this one. Not all of them were lifetime spacers like Auctus; after a youth working the mines a ship’s engine room must’ve tasted like freedom to him. Even Saxa, who came from a family of space thieves and runners, needed time off ship to remember what it was like to feel _real_. Even artificial sunlight was better than the flickering envrio-lights of _The Boat_. 

Chadara was getting that look about her that meant a hard adjustment and homesickness were starting to settle down inside her bones. Saxa didn’t want to see her run; she had no doubt Chadara would be an asset to the crew if she could just get over this first wall of the space-life-test. They couldn’t make a stop-over at some dock; that would be considered failing the mental endurance trial, but hell, Saxa had to do _something_.

She found Chadara in the mess, looking out over the court below where Varro was leading Aurelia in a dance, trying to outpace Barca and Pietros. Donar had Adela and Janus in his arms as he attempted to participate as well. 

“It’s nice to see the family bonding,” Saxa said as she slid next to Chadara. 

“Hmm,” Chadara said.

Saxa tugged one one of those loose strands of blonde hair. “Come on,” she said as she leaned into Chadara’s side, “I want to show you something.”

That garnered a reaction. Chadara even laughed. “The last time someone said that to me, the results were not so innocent.”

Saxa had to bite her lip to hold back her grin. Chadara was fun to be around, to tease, and she was a fan of deep kisses and quick gropes in dark corners. Saxa was greedy though; she’d always want more. It wasn’t the right time yet. Chadara needed to find herself before a more intimate connection occurred. Saxa had made the fucking mistake of falling too fast as the wrong more times than she was proud to admit. She didn’t want Chadara’s place to be on the regrets list.  
She held her hands up to show her innocence. “I swear to keep my hands and tongue to myself this time.”

“And your feet?” Chadara asked.

Saxa nodded. “All limbs kept to my own person unless you don’t want them to be.” She winked. “Come on, I promise it’ll be better than sitting here watching people choke down dried fake meat and cal-bars.”

Chadara looked around the empty mess and nodded. Her hair still shone even under the harsh light. A person shouldn’t be so fucking beautiful when they were this sad. Saxa didn’t know if she had the capability of being gentle enough to make it better. She wondered if Chadara would mind that Saxa always knew action over words. Maybe Chadara would have words enough for them both of them. She was certainly using them now.

“Your meal time entertainment does leave something to be desired.” She held a hand out to Saxa. “Just don’t throw me out into space.”

“Never,” she swore. 

Saxa took her hand, making sure to keep her grip light, as if she was leading Adela or Janus around, and guided Chadara on the long climb to the sky deck. The highest levels of the ship were left mostly empty. Everyone needed quarters near the med bay and engine and control rooms. Meditation was often taken in dark corners and on hidden platforms. The sky deck felt like a religious sanctuary, not a confessional booth. It left you speechless, staring out of the clear view screen into the vastness of space. It was easy to forget, locked inside the routine of running a ship, just where they were, how far from everything else they traveled, and how there was something bigger out there. Nothing was as uncharted as what lay before them.

Saxa let go of Chadara’s hand and stood back to watch her take in the view. A small smile graced Chadara’s lips. It was the most genuine one Saxa had seen since Chadara joined them. Delicate fingers pressed against the screen as she traced a pattern Saxa could only guess. The tension slowly bled out of her body until she nearly slumped against the glass. 

“Better?” Saxa asked as she quietly approached.

Chadara nodded. Her eyes were closed, an ear pressed to the screen as if she could hear voices out in the dark. “It helps to know there’s still a greater world out there.”

Saxa laughed. “We’re not doing too badly for a few little specks.” She looked down and was surprised to find a hand held out to her. Saxa took it with a tighter grip this time.

Chadara turned to her and leaned up, pressing a kiss to Saxa’s cheek. It burned on her skin, sending a rush through her that made Saxa, for once, drop her gaze.

“Thank you,” Chadara whispered. “This helped more than you could know.”

“We’ve all been there,” Saxa said. She rubbed her thumb in small circles over Chadara’s wrist. “You’re one of us now; don’t hesitate if you need us.”

Chadara’s smile was larger this time, still genuine, real, and breathtakingly beautiful. 

“I’ll consider it.”

Saxa didn’t know how one smile and one sentence could flip her stomach like it did, but she was starting to learn to expect the unexpected with Chadara.


	6. Back to Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To soothe the savage beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon who wanted Agron/Nasir "Quiet Me"

“Do I look the part?” Nasir asked.

He’d grown his hair long and there was three-days-worth of stubble covering his chin. His clothes were rust-colored and sun-faded. There was a scar healing on his cheek from their last job, the result of a slight miscalculation with a pulse gun and an old glass window. He looked like the exact opposite of the slick government puppet who’d joined them three months ago. Even his words were losing that accent that screamed educated, rich, and city-like. It made Agron shiver in a damn fine way that was totally inappropriate for a mission which required him to keep his hands steady. 

“As good as any other space rat,” Duro said as he joined them. His face was drawn and tired, a common look these past two months. He nodded at Agron. “You got a second?”

“Sure,” Agron said. He always had time for his baby brother. “What’s up?”

Duro’s eyes flicked to Nasir for a moment. “Alone,” he clarified. 

That was rude and unsubtle even by Duro’s standards. Nasir’s face was carefully blank, but Agron could see a hint of worry in his eyes. 

“Don’t be an ass,” Agron told him.

Duro rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he muttered. “I was just trying to spare your reputation. Nasir deserves to keep living in the fantasy world where you don’t act like a spoiled brat when something doesn’t go your way.”

Duro had been completely off-center since Auctus crept off without a parting word. Auctus could stay in whatever hole on the backwater planet he’d crawled into for all Agron cared. It was only Aurelia’s demands to be civil that saw him answering Auctus’ vid-calls. This ship was better off without people who couldn’t commit to the cause. Agron always thought Auctus was dedicated to it; to Duro especially, but apparently his brother wasn’t the only one fooled. Duro’s emotions and reactions had gone the full spectrum from sad to angry to resigned, so Agron felt it understandable that he was completely fucking confused by his brother’s words now.

Duro pinched his brow. “I’m going after Auctus, you fuckwit.”

Not fucking likely. “The hell you are,” Agron said. He stepped into Duro’s space. “He fucking left you, Duro. He refuses to speak with you now. Why would you go after that?”

Duro grasped the back of his neck in his give-away-gesture of _I can’t tell you so just deal_. Agron was having exactly none of it. 

“Look,” Duro said, correctly guessing his brother’s mind, “I’m starting to think there was some major miscommunication going on. I need to correct some things, get others clarified, and I can’t do that a few light years away from him.”

“You have no idea where he is,” Agron said as he gripped Duro’s shoulder. 

Duro scoffed. “ _You_ have no idea where he is; I know the exact location.” He patted Agron’s hand and slid out from his hold. “I’m doing it with or without your approval. It’d be nice to have your okay though.” He nodded to Nasir. “Good luck.”

Nasir’s brow wrinkled. “With what?”

Duro didn’t say anything, just shook his head slowly before backing out of the store room. Agron could feel his fits clench and he tried to list off interplanetary dock masters in his head to keep the roar down that was begging for release. It didn’t happen often, that Duro and Agron clashed over a fundamental, but when it did everyone ran for cover. Agron’s fury always came from knowing it was a situation outside of his control; when Duro made up his mind _that_ much there was no changing it. 

He jumped when one of Nasir’s hands cupped his cheek; the other smoothing out the fists. 

“Are you honestly so over-protective of him that you won’t let Duro make his own mistakes?”

Agron nodded, unable to let the words slip past his lips.

Nasir smiled. “I wondered, when we first met and you dragged me under that senator’s table, if you would be too much trouble.” He stretched upwards and kissed Agron’s cheek. “I was correct, but like Duro, I understand that the heart wants what it wants.”

Agron wanted to argue against the stupidity of following emotions on a whim but a) it’d make him the hugest fucking hypocrite this side of Hera’s Blood Moons and b) he could already feel the frustration draining out of him. It was hard to hold on to it in the face of Nasir’s smile and soft touch. 

He reached out for Nasir’s free hand, lacing their fingers together, and took a moment to just breathe. He softly pressed his lips to Nasir’s forehead and said a prayer to whatever fucking gods were still out there. He’d never expected to find someone like Nasir, and once meeting him, never expected him to join this life or _stay_. It scared Agron in a way he’d never known, to be this vulnerable for and around someone who wasn’t born of blood or bond.  
 _Everything_ about this was new to him; they were stumbling through it. He’d like to think they were on a good course to succeeding. 

“Come on,” Nasir said as he walked backward and tugged Agron along. “We have a whole stack of credit-chips to steal. Crime calls.”


	7. Another Soul That's Been Cut Up The Same Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is their end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from The Gaslight Anthem's _Handwritten_.

**Another Soul That’s Been Cut Up The Same Part I**

It’s not that Duro didn’t enjoy being carried around the ship by his much stronger boyfriend. It was just, he’d wolfed down a cal-meal after that shitty beer on Tomis and the rocking motion wasn’t exactly cute when Duro was five seconds from puking all over Auctus’ back. Not to mention his brain couldn’t stop repeating Sura’s words. God did she need to quit it with the psychic shit. He did the only sensible thing he could do since Auctus wouldn’t listen to words. He bit down hard on Auctus’ shoulder.

“What the actual fuck, Duro?”

“I need you to put me down, slowly, before I puke all over everything.”

Auctus did as he was told and a careful hand cupped Duro’s cheek.

“Duro,” Auctus gently said, “what’s wrong.”

Duro laughed as he closed his eyes to stop the spinning in his head. The laugh sounded wrong; fake and harsh.

“It’s nice to know you care,” slipped out of his mouth before he could force it back behind his usual wall of repression and denial. 

“What is wrong with you?” Auctus asked. 

He looked annoyed rather than angry and Duro wondered how much longer this would last. Everyone grew bored of him sooner or later. He’d been in this _thing_ with Auctus for three years now. Each day, each time he left this ship and new people came on, Duro knew their time was running out. Duro could feel it in his bones, whatever happened tonight, it’d signal the end. 

He’d learned long ago that boys like him didn’t get the fairytale love story; even if he wanted to believe he could with Auctus. Boys like Pietros got it though, those who were intelligent and well-kept, with gentle smiles and an ability to help rather than hinder. Duro was trouble of the worst sort and everyone, except Agron, got tired of it. 

“If I cut my hair would you still want to fuck me?”

A line appeared between Auctus’ brows and his grip on Duro’s cheek tightened. “What the hell happened on that prison transport?”

“Just answer the question.”

Auctus rolled his eyes. “No, Duro, I would banish you from my bed if you cut your hair.” He gripped the back of Duro’s braids and tugged hard. “Do you honestly think this is what brought me to you?”

“They remind you of Barca, don’t they?”

Auctus’ lips thinned as he studied Duro’s face. “I thought we were past this.”

“Old wounds re-open easily.”

“There’s no need for it,” Auctus said.

He sounded certain, he looked sure, but Duro learned long ago not to trust what a face conveyed. Something was hidden in those eyes, in the slight pauses Auctus would sometimes make in words or movement. His eyes drifted to Barca sometimes, watching him with Pietros, and they were never angry or nostalgic, just sad. Usually those were the days Duro tried to distract him with dirty jokes and dirtier smiles. He’d spent three years being a distraction, a divergence, and Duro didn’t think he could do it anymore.

Everything seemed so much easier when he was back in that bar in Tomis. 

It’s not like he doubted Auctus cared. The crew was important to Auctus. You don’t get this far out into the Deep with a group of people and just let everyone be strangers. There would always be concern there and that everlasting tie of surviving the shit together. 

It’s just, Duro really, truly thought he knew what it was like to be looked at with love. And then he saw Agron’s face when he heard Nasir’s voice in person again. Like fucking all the gods had descended to bless him. It made Duro think on that long journey back to the ship. He made a deal with himself once, long ago after the accident that killed his parents, that he’d do what he wanted as long as he was happy. Not all the time, bad shit happened and you had to push through, but he needed to cling to the possibility of life outside smuggling. 

He doubted Auctus loved him enough to leave all this behind if Duro made an ultimatum of it. He had no doubt both Agron, Barca, hell even Varro, would make the choice with only slight hesitation. And that, that tiny little realization that’d been turning in his head like a core-drill bit, just wouldn’t let up. 

Duro slipped out of Auctus’ hold. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“How the hell do you expect me to forget _that_?” Auctus asked. 

Duro shrugged. “I don’t know. How about you talk it over with Barca? That’s what you usually do right? He’s the grown-up you have actual conversations while I’m just the one you fuck from behind.”

Duro really needed to invest in a decent brain-to-mouth filter. He was up two levels of stairs before Auctus even unfroze enough to yell after him. 

*******************

There were only so many places you could hide on a ship. He had to avoid Auctus, he had to avoid Agron, and he felt it good to avoid Nasir. Duro didn’t want to fuck that up for his brother. The best place to hide was the med bay. Which meant Barca. Which meant Duro had a huge-ass problem. He went with Plan B, which meant the nursery and Varro. 

He found Varro there brushing a hand through Janus’ curls. It fucked with Duro’s mind sometimes to think that Varro and Aurelia were someone’s parents. 

“You look like shit,” Varro said. 

“That seems to be my theme of the day.”

“Want to talk about it?”

He flopped down beside them and picked up one of Janus’ toys; some creature that looked like a bunny but had fangs. “Nope. Just swallowing some hard truths. They’re going down bad.”

“Maybe you should’ve chewed first,” Varro said. 

Duro smirked. “What can I say, I have a big mouth.”

Varro kicked at him before his face grew serious. “This isn’t about Agron and Nasir, is it? What, you think Auctus wouldn’t bust you out of a prison transport-pod? Hell, he’d destroy a satellite if it stood between you two.”

Duro’s gut churned at the very thought of such a thing. Destruction on a massive scale was kind of a sore subject considering his past.

“Except he wouldn’t, not really,” Varro said. “He’d know how you’d feel about that much unnecessary collateral damage, so he’d find another way. Just, don’t throw away three years of a good thing because Sura was mean to you.”

“She wasn’t mean to me, not really. She just spat out thoughts that have never left me. Hell, we’ve all made that joke at least once, about me being Barca’s much shorter, much cheaper stand-in. I just can’t laugh it off anymore. I _can’t_ say with any certainty if, when it came down to it, I would be his choice. I mean, honestly, who’s going to pick me over Barca anyway?”

“Agron,” Varro said.

“Brothers don’t count,” Duro answered. “Look, Varro, I’m not deluded. I’m not the fastest, the smartest, or the most skilled. I’m the comedic relief who manages to score us free drinks at every bar through three galaxies. That’s not exactly a rare skill.”

Varro scoffed. “These days having someone who can make friends in a millisecond? Duro, that shit’s rarer than pure Earth water.” He flicked Duro’s ear. “It sounds like there’s a bit more fuckery going on in your brain than usual. I’m having a feeling this isn’t just about Auctus. You know you’re not going to lose Agron either, right?”

“Yeah, well, it’s not going to be the same.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes change is a damn good thing,” Varro said. “Seriously though, good or bad, change is always hard. Needed, but difficult.”

“Thank you, o wise Varro.”

“Listen to your elders, Duro. We’ve had more time to fuck up and fix shit.” He gripped Duro’s shoulder. “Just sleep on it before you make any big decisions. You’re obviously mindfucked right now, Duro. I’m sure you haven’t taken a moment to stop since before Tomis. You’re still hyped-up on job adrenaline and too much shit at once. Promise me you’ll at least take a nap before you throw yourself on a pyre of self-doubt and self-destruction.”

“I promise,” Duro said.

“Good, now, want to help me change Janus?”

Duro shook his head. His services had to end somewhere. That was his line. 

*******************

It had been so long since Duro slept in his own quarters that the door creaked as it slid opened. He grimaced and hoped the sound didn’t wake anyone up on the hall. The ship required round-the-clock care which meant someone was always sleeping. Duro didn’t want to be that asshole that ruined everyone’s night. 

He slammed back into the door when he found Auctus sitting on his bed. 

“Ow,” Auctus said for him. 

“What are you doing here?” Duro asked. He would not rub his elbow and complain when Auctus was looking at him like that, gaze pretty much ordering Duro to submit to inspection.

“Are you going to come here and let me make sure you didn’t break anything?” Auctus asked.

“I’m good here,” Duro said as he leaned his back against the cool metal. “I think I’d know if something was broken. I’m not that stupid.”

“Yes, because you’ve _never_ hidden an injury before,” Auctus said. 

He was one to talk. Auctus once very nearly bled to death on the engine room floor without telling anyone that hey, while keeping the rustbucket in the sky, he sort of suffered an episode of sharp force trauma.

“Will you just come here?” Auctus asked.

Duro vehemently shook his head. 

Auctus rolled his eyes. “I don’t get you, Duro. Two weeks, hell, two _days_ , ago you were fine. Now you’re like this.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes I get tired of keeping silent.”

So much for sleeping on it. Varro would be pissed; Aurelia even more so.

“You’re acting like a child,” Auctus said. 

Duro really was not capable of dealing with this right now. He was finally starting to feel the effect of the last three days. His body suddenly felt heavy and not in a good way. He slammed his fist into the door panel as he stepped back. 

“You should leave,” he said. 

Auctus didn’t argue. He just stared at Duro for a moment, nodded, and left. It pissed Duro off even more, that silent acceptance, as if he didn’t even care enough to try and fight. Duro stalked over to his bed as the door slid closed again. He reached to lob the nearest thing he could find at it but stopped when he felt frayed fabric and wrinkled paper under his fingers. 

It was a copy of _Good Omens_ that Auctus carried with him from his first mining job at thirteen to every place since. Duro knew it’d been rebound at least three times. He couldn’t damage this one, didn’t even know what the hell it was doing in here after all this time, but he couldn’t let the anger go either. 

He hoped Donar was up for a drinking match. 

************

Bright lights and the smell of antiseptic woke Duro. He opened his eyes to the hazy image of Barca’s face.

“Fuck,” Duro muttered. “Barca, fine morning, isn’t it?”

Barca shook his head in disgust. “You and your brother have this habit of pressing down on your own personal self-destruct buttons. I don’t know what it is with you two. Why do you have to make shit more complicated than it needs to be?”

“I’m sorry if my sudden resurfacing from the Land of Denial is inconvenient for you, Barca. What? You get to be blissfully happy so fuck everyone else when it screws with your time?”

It was a step too far and normally Duro’s personal alarms would be blaring at him. He didn’t really care though, not now. 

Barca’s nostrils flared and his fingers clenched on the steel shelving of the medbay. “I’m going to let that one slide because you’ve clearly been mindfucked and not in a good way. Duro, what the fuck is your problem?”

“I’m not you,” Duro muttered.

“Are you fucking serious?” Barca sputtered. “Is that what this is? You think Auctus is still in love with me after _all_ this fucking time?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Homefry, let me clue you in on something. You are the only living person in the entire universe outside of Auctus and Cassandra, and their families, who has not only _met_ Kore but knows where she lives and has visited her home. I was with Auctus for seven goddamned years and he waited until three years after he knew just to tell me he had a daughter. He knew you for one fucking month and you and Kore were vidchat buddies.”

“It’s more than that,” Duro said. 

Barca nodded. “Of course it is. Look, I’m not saying there aren’t legitimate issues you two need to discuss. Neither one of you are great with the impulse control thing. You stumbled into this mess together and kept that up but it worked for you.”

Duro dropped his gaze to examine the table under him. “If it worked so well than why am I so unhappy?”

“Because you can’t ever take your finger off that self-destruct, Duro. It’s like you don’t think you deserves to be happy sometimes, you and Agron both. Look, you two had nothing to do with that accident okay?”

“Shut the fuck up, Barca, right fucking now,” Duro hissed. They didn’t talk about it with Outsiders, at all, The Accident. They didn’t talk about how Duro, Agron, Saxa, and Nemetes were the only survivors. They didn’t talk about how Nemetes ratted them out to save his own skin and condemned the rest to life on the run. 

They didn’t fucking talk about it. There were a lot of things they didn’t talk about it. 

“I’ll get Agron, okay,” Barca said.

Duro shook his head. “Don’t bother him. He needs time with Nasir.”

“Right now, he needs to be a brother more,” Barca said. “If Nasir’s going to be with him, he needs to know that from the start, there will be times when family _must_ come first.”

Duro smirked. “Come on, Doc Barca, I’m not that bad.”

“Not yet,” Barca agreed. “It’s still early.”

He was gone before Duro could protest. He pressed a hand over his eyes and tried in vain to block out the light that even seeped in through his closed eyelids. It was too quiet down here. There was normally music blaring from both the med bay and the engine room. Today it was nothing but the normal whirring of a ship in motion. 

Until there was the sound of panicked footsteps trampling down the steps.

“Calm your shit, I’m not dead,” Duro yelled out to Agron.

“I couldn’t fucking find you this morning, jackass,” Agron said as he pulled Duro off the table and into a hug. “You weren’t in your bed. Auctus couldn’t find you. I didn’t know where the hell you were.”

“Donar and I did a few rounds,” he explained. “I somehow wound up here.”

Agron nodded and took a few calming breaths. “Yeah, yeah, he’s asleep on the stairs outside. At least one of you got somewhere near a bed. Why the hell did you come to the med bay though?”

Duro wasn’t quite sure but he vaguely recalled trying to find a cure for a broken heart in Barca’s drug chest. It was Donar’s idea. 

“It seemed like a good idea at the time. Trying to fix what’s broken,” Duro said.

Agron nodded. “Rumor’s been spreading across the ship.”

“We fly with a bunch of gossips.”

“You usually head the network.”

“It’s different from this side,” Duro admitted. “So, you’ve heard?”

“What I’ve heard is from all over. What I know is a very confused Auctus turned into a really fucking worried one when he couldn’t find you this morning. Duro, what’s going on?”

“Your life is just starting and mine is falling apart,” he said. There was really no other way to put it.

Agron knew the truth, had heard Duro confess some of his worst fears, and had supported the thing with Auctus even when he didn’t agree. Duro expected some smug retort in response. What he got was much worse.

Agron hugged him tight. “Don’t say that, Duro. Just tell him you need some time. That’s it, right, bro? You just need some time to sort things out.”

Duro nodded. “It gets all fuzzy when I’m trying to talk it out with him. I just get so scared, Agron.”

“He can’t deny you time,” Agron said. “It’s all we’ve got out here.”

Life felt a little better when Agron seemed so sure. 

****************

Duro had to search the whole ship to find Auctus. He wasn’t in the engine room, either of their bedrooms, or the canteen. Duro finally found him hanging outside the nursery, all-purpose tool in one hand and Varro’s comm-unit in the other.

“Hey,” Duro said. He bit his lip to stop the flood of words pouring out. There were too many thoughts in his head right now and he didn’t want to bombard Auctus with any of them until he sorted shit out. 

Auctus looked up. “You feeling better?”

Duro shrugged. “Sort of. Look—I just—need some time,” he said. He nervously tugged on his braids. “Not a lot of time, just a little bit, apart from us and this until I get things sorted out, you know?”

Auctus nodded. “You need time, okay.”

“You’re not pissed at me?” he asked. Duro really needed Auctus not to be pissed at him.

“Nah, not at all,” Auctus said. He stood and smiled at Duro as he walked past. “I hope you find what you need.”

Duro watched him go and tried not to think about the look on Auctus' face. It was the cold smile, the fake smile, the one Duro hadn’t seen since Auctus took a piece of shrapnel through his abdomen and started spitting out his own blood, swearing to Duro that everything would be fine. 

Duro knew now, like he’d known then, everything was about as far from fucking fine as possible.

**********************

Duro knew that life could flash before your eyes and eerily put things into a perspective in under a heartbeat. They’d just left Tomis, they had a new crew member in Hamilcar, and Auctus was gone. 

Not for good, Aurelia swore, but just to sort his head out. He hadn’t said goodbye to Duro though. Auctus always said goodbye. He knew the rule. Why had he broken the rule? 

Duro stopped by his room, grabbed the copy of _Good Omens_ and lugged his tired body down to Auctus’ room. He didn’t expect to find Barca there. 

“Really not in the mood, Barca,” he said.

Barca’s eyes were trained on the book in Duro’s hand. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Uh, I guess. Auctus left it in my room a few weeks ago. I just, I’d thought I’d bring it back here to leave with the others.”

His plan really was to curl up in Auctus’ sheets, praying that a remnant of their combined smell still clung to the pillow. He planned on reading the book and letting the memory of Auctus’ voice soothe him. Those were good times, happier times, times when Duro never doubted that he was loved, cherished, and important. 

Barca shook his head. “You two really are idiots in love. You can’t even recognize grand gestures for what they are.” 

“Barca, Auctus just left me without saying goodbye. Now is not the fucking time to turn the knife in deeper, okay, bro? Just, let me have this night to myself. You can be smug and all-knowing tomorrow.”

“Fine,” Barca said. “You do know where he went though, right?”

“I’m guessing to Kore’s.” There was no guess about it. Auctus had planned a trip there for later in the year anyway.

“Which is located where exactly?” Barca asked.

Duro shook his head. “If he didn’t tell you and you can’t find it on your own, you don’t deserve to know.”

“And you still think he’s in love with me when you know of and protect all he holds sacred in this world. Yeah, okay,” Barca said. 

Duro glared after him as he left.

Two months later Duro was done with glaring. He was pissed off, he was tired, he was cranky, he really fucking missed Auctus, and he was not down with this ignoring bullshit. Auctus had called yet again and still refused to speak with Duro. Duro only had one plan and it involved a ship transport.

“Fuck this noise,” Duro said. “Clearly one of us is going to have to fight for this godforsaken relationship and apparently it has to be me.”

Nasir patted his back. “I think it will do Auctus good to know you want to fight for him. I mean, has anyone done that, like, ever?”

Nasir was a gift. Well, no, Chadara was a gift who could outdrink them all, but Nasir, he was a listener. He didn’t have history with all of them so he was a pretty impartial judge. He was just the kind of person Duro needed to help sort his brain out. He was also the one who found the note Auctus had shoved in between the pages of _Good Omens_ , a whole list of accounts Duro had access to should the worst happen to Auctus. There was also a chip containing legal documents in there. 

The fucker had, without outright saying it, given Duro rights normally granted only to legal spouses. Duro was also the co-heir with Kore to Auctus' pretty fucking impressive fortunes. Duro knew that he wanted nothing more than to shove his tongue down Auctus’ throat when he finally saw him again, because gods did his miss that mouth, but then he was pretty sure a few well deserved punches would follow. 

“You sure about this?” Agron asked as he checked through Duro’s bag one more time. “What if he turns you away?”

“He probably will on the first try. It’s what Auctus does,” Duro said.

“Okay, but if he does it on the second or third, you call us, no matter where you are or we are, and we’ll come get you.” He adjusted Duro’s collar and made a face at his hair. “You look weird without you braids.”

“All those times you tried to get me to cut them and _now_ you complain?” 

“I think he looks hot,” Chadara said. She laughed at Saxa’s growl. “What? I mean that in a complete I-have-no-desire-to-sleep-with-him way.”

Varro patted his shoulder as the dock master called for all passengers. “Go get your man. Give him a sloppy kiss for me.”

Another round of hugs followed. The last and longest was with Agron.

“You’ve got to let go, bro,” Duro said.

“I’m trying,” Agron whined. “My hands won’t unclench.”

Duro exchanged a look with Nasir who rolled his eyes. He silently approached Agron and stretched up onto his tip-toes. He then bit Agron’s earlobe so hard, Duro pretty much felt it. It was amazing how fast Agron’s arms switched from Duro to Nasir. 

“Take care of him,” Duro said.

“Always,” Nasir promised. 

Duro waved at them all, grabbed his bag, and boarded the transport.


	8. Another Soul That's Been Cut Up The Same, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is their rebirth.

**Another Soul That’s Been Cut Up The Same Part II**

Space really fucked with the concept of time. There was no sunlight when you woke-up, no loss of light when it was time to sleep. Ship controls tried to regulate it but millennia of human evolution couldn’t be fixed by mood lighting. Days could pass without notice, weeks, months; each crew had to have their way of marking time. Normally Auctus paid little notice of it all unless they were working a job. 

It’d been two weeks since Duro made his request for space outside the nursery. Two weeks of awkward silences and trying to navigate this new world where Auctus didn’t turn around to automatically find Duro there with a smile and contraband sweets. Sleep was a stranger in Auctus’ bed. He didn’t even sleep the first week, minus a few naps out of pure exhaustion. Aurelia was the one who tracked him down, tranquilized him, and put him to bed. 

If Auctus still believed in childish notions like hope, he might’ve been able to soldier on through it all. He knew better though. The last time there was a _break for space_ , someone came back married and it sure as hell wasn’t Auctus. He’d try to do what he did best, warm himself again at other people’s fires, and tell himself that as long as Duro was happy, he could deal. It was a whole level of self-promising bullshit that hadn’t worked the first time, or the second time, and Auctus knew as sure as he breathed, it wouldn’t work now.

He wasn’t the type to run from his problems. Too stubborn, too proud, too antagonistic to let someone else win, that was Auctus. This time though, he needed to get away. He needed to sort himself out and figure just how he’d manage to make this work. He wouldn’t abandon his ship or his crew. He wouldn’t abandon Duro, even if he could only have him in memory. He just needed to recalibrate himself instead of the engines for once. 

Auctus gave into the urge to eat and was glad to find the canteen mostly empty. The only other person was Agron and he just waved as he continued making some sort of feast for two. Auctus didn’t comment on wasting fresh food supplies on a sure thing, which Nasir certainly was when it came to Agron, but he wasn’t going to fuck-up anyone else’s relationship this month. He’d done a damn fine job on his own. He grabbed a bowl of stew and settled at one of the back tables. 

The canteen had a window that looked down on the rec room below. It was a standard empty space in these old ships, left wide open to encourage movement, be it dance classes or pick-up games of everything from old-world basketball to half-gravity-hockey. He’d tackled Duro to that floor more than once, a pleasurable prize after a long chase. Now he had to watch as Dagan and Duro sparred, joked, laughed, and bonded on it. Duro, well, he seemed pretty happy about it. Auctus wasn’t used to watching other people receive that wide, full, smile with just the hint of mischief. 

Auctus couldn’t believe that, once more in his fucking miserable life, he was going to have to sit back and watch as the man he loved fell in love with someone else. Auctus had been stabbed, shot, electrocuted, and even briefly eviscerated at one point. Nothing hurt as much as watching this again. It was worse this time and Auctus didn’t know how that was possible. He never thought it _could_ happen again. He was so sure he’d finally found it. Now Auctus couldn’t focus or function. He had whole sequences of just spacing out. 

There was a joke made by the old-timers out here past the outer-ring. Jokes about how the spacefarers needed anchors more than the ships. Auctus had gone without before; it hurt then but not like this, not now, not when each breath felt labored. 

And he couldn’t do shit about it. Auctus wouldn’t plead, he wouldn’t beg, he wouldn’t try to change Duro’s mind. The kid, no, the _man_ , deserved the best in life, always and in everything. Auctus wouldn’t mess with it even if every smile thrown Dagan’s way made him want to rip out engine parts with his bare hands and hurl them at Dagan’s handsome face. 

It just, it wasn’t fucking fair. What the hell did Auctus _do_ in his past life that every man he loved turned from him? He knew he wasn’t a party to be around, but fuck, neither were 95% of the people on this ship. It’s why they were here. It’s why this was home. 

“You need a drink,” Agron said as he broke the silence of the room.

“I need a job,” Auctus countered. He’d made the decision last night. Already made arrangements with Aurelia’s encouragement. It just made it really real to admit it out loud. 

Agron fumbled his knife and it dropped on the counter with a hollow sound.

“Auctus, you haven’t left this ship for an extended period since we got it.”

“I’m due for a vacation then.”

Agron’s eyes strayed to the window. “Do you think that’s best? Maybe it’ll just blow over.”

“Maybe it won’t,” Auctus said. “Isn’t having to live my life with _one_ ex living all high and happy before me enough? At least give me the chance to recharge before I have to do it with two.”

Agron looked unconvinced. “Who’s going to watch our engines?”

Duro knew how to, he’d spent enough time learning at Auctus side to fix ‘em on instinct and observation. He wasn’t a trained engineer though and hadn’t spent his whole life deep in the guts and grime of space-engine-block. Luckily, he knew a guy who had, taught by Auctus himself. 

“I’ve already called Hamilcar. He’s going to meet us at Tomis.”

“And you’re going to leave us?” Agron said. “Not forever, right?”

“Nah,” Auctus said. He wasn’t _that_ strong. If he had to live his life vicariously, again, he would. He just needed a break. “I just need to see my Kore-girl.”

Nothing put shit into prospective than meeting the daughter who was only fourteen years younger than you and about ten times as wiser. 

*****************

It’d been hell trying to slip-out at Tomis. He didn’t want any big goodbyes or productions. He couldn’t see Duro because he knew he’d either break and stay on the ship or break and ask Duro to come with him. Neither one of those options were fair to both of them. So he worked it out with Agron, Aurelia, and Mira. They took care of it, shuffling him out in-between introductions and initiation ceremonies with Hamilcar at Lugo’s bar. Dagan and Chadara helped by asking questions ever five seconds about the bar, the stories shown in the vid-clip photos attached to the walls, and being loud enough to distract any attention from Auctus’ quiet corner. 

“You ready?” Aurelia asked as she slipped him his bag.

“You don’t think they’ll miss a sudden take-off?”

“I’m checking on Janus,” she said with a wink. 

They both sneaked out the back and borrowed Lugo’s sand-runner. Time was funny again, gone in a flash when they arrived at the space port. Fate was with him. The docks were still in working order. He’d get out to Nova Roma before taking the jumper to Polis. 

Aurelia grabbed him in a hug before he could leave. “You will contact me once you get there,” she said. Not a question, an order. “I know you’ll scramble the coordinates so I can’t find you, but, you have to let me know you’re alive, Auctus.”

“I promise. I’ll keep you updated.” He kissed the top of her head and then went to the ticket stand.

It took him the better part of a week to get to her, but he was finally at his Kore-girl’s side. She’d took one look at him and sent him out to install fence-posts on the far side of her property. Few people in the whole galaxy understood him as Kore did. He didn’t even know her until she was twelve and decided to run half-way across the ‘verse to find him. She was their little stowaway until Cassandra arrived with a bottle of the best swill Athenia had to offer and the truth. Kore was more like his sister than his daughter but he loved her with all his heart. He’d never been so thankful for a night of misspent youth and drunken mistakes as he was whenever he looked into her face. She had her momma’s bone structure, but those eyes were all his. The attitude was all Kore. At nineteen she was one of the youngest farm owners this side of the Polis, but damn if she wasn’t already successful.

It was two months full of back-breaking work helping her establish the farm on this colony when Auctus broke. He’d expected a visitor or two when word got around he’d finally crawled out of the engine block. The old crew, his mining brothers and sisters, knew how to find him if they needed him. The arrival of an unexpected guest on Kore’s porch didn’t surprise him until he opened the door. 

The last person he expected to see was Duro. He’d cut his hair. It looked delicious, a whole head full of messy curls carrying easily on the breeze. He looked tired though, shadows around his eyes, and he’d lost weight in his face. Auctus didn’t like that but it wasn’t his place to say. 

“You, uh, you left some things,” Duro said. He had a bag in his hand. Canvas-made with Janus’ chalk drawings on the outside. “I, uh, I thought you’d might want them. I know you read them a lot.”

Auctus leaned over and looked inside the bag to see some of his cherished books. At the top was _Good Omens_ , a touchstone he’d left in Duro’s room. He hadn’t needed it since meeting him and then, when it got bad, he’d left it for Duro’s own salvation. It hurt more than it ought to realize Duro didn’t understand the act. It hurt to think of those books, ancient artifacts of a time long ago, ink and paper that meant even more to him with Duro cradled in his arms, humming softly as Auctus read the lines on the pages. 

A mockery now of everything he’d wanted and had. 

“Keep them or sell them. Hell, shred them and burn them for all I care. I left them for a reason,” Auctus said. 

Duro shuffled the bag in his hand. “Are you—do you know when you’re coming back?”

Auctus didn’t want to lie to Duro. Or himself. “I don’t know,” he said, the only truth he could give. 

Kore was yelling at him to shut the door before he let the air out. “Take care of yourself, Duro,” he said. He shut the door with a finality that should’ve felt satisfying. Instead it froze him there, in place, watching through the monitor until Duro gave-up and left. 

It was a long wait.

“Auctus?” Kore asked when she found him kneeling on the ground. 

He looked up at her, lips desperately shaking as he lost the will to hold back tears. He’d never cried for Barca. He didn’t know if he’d ever really stop crying for Duro. 

“It’s over,” he said.

“It’s never over,” Kore argued. Her touch was gentle as she stroked his hair. “You still live, both of you. This is good, you need this. You must heal before you attempt to make amends.”

“He ended it.”

“Then you start it, after you’ve sorted yourself out. After he’s done the same.” She tilted his chin up. “I’ve never had more faith in you than now to see this through to the end.”

“It’s over,” Auctus repeated.

She touched the tears on his face and shook her head. “Oh, Auctus, it’s just begun.”

**************

It was a rare luxury to wake-up under a real sun-start. Auctus felt a certain kind of nostalgia as he looked up at a real sky and prepared an actual meal made with real meat and vegetables. It was going to be a good morning, he could feel it. He might even get that fence done today. He promised not to leave until it was finished. Kore needed it to get livestock. She was determined to have this farm be more than just plants.

He almost burned himself when the repetitive pounding at the front door started. He knew who was on the other side. He just didn’t think he could get his feet to move. 

“Are you going to get that or should I?” Kore asked. She was half-asleep with hair everywhere, and still as beautiful as ever. He couldn’t believe half his genes helped make her when she had all that pretty and all that sense. 

“I’m making breakfast,” Auctus said.

“I’ll get it then,” Kore said. 

He heard the door slide open and an exchange in soft voices too low to discern. He could sense them on the threshold of the kitchen but he didn’t turn around until Duro cleared his throat. Auctus had to hide his smile. Duro and Agron were the only men he knew who could clear their throats in a way that cursed you out via intent. 

Auctus carefully put the spatula down and turned to meet Duro’s unruly face.

“You’re angry,” he said.

“Hell fucking yes, I’m angry,” Duro said. “You fucking left without saying goodbye. That violates the rules. You KNOW that violates the rules. You don’t fucking do that. You don’t fucking do that _to me_.” 

Auctus smoothed out the ends of the dishtowel in his hand. “Look, I didn’t want to bother you. You were talking with Dagan and you were happy. I wasn’t making you happy then, I wanted to remember you with that smile.”

“You’re about to remember me with a fist to your face, what the fuck, Auctus? You know how that made me feel when you just left like I wasn’t even worth saying goodbye to? It was like every horrible thought and doubt and fucking nightmare I had about how you saw me was true. And then I come here and you tell me to burn those books, _our books_ , and you think I would just take it? Who the hell do you think I am, Auctus?”

“You’re Duro Stieber, smuggler, space rat, thief, brother of Agron, godfather of Adela,” he said in all seriousness. Duro was infinitely proud of all those things. Auctus would rattle off the titles whenever Duro posed such a question.

Duro looked upset now though and Auctus dropped his gaze. Clearly that was another tradition to be lost. Auctus really didn’t know how he was going to live like this, on that ship, with caution required before every word and attempt at old memories. 

Duro cleared his throat. “You left one out,” he whispered.

Yes, Auctus had. He didn’t think he had the right to say it anymore.

“You can’t honestly expect me to willingly call you Dagan’s heart. It’s still a little too fucking soon for me, Duro.” He was damn near yelling by the end. Auctus closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”

Duro didn’t look upset, just confused. “Why do I have a feeling we’re having two very different conversations here?”

“Because you are,” Kore yelled from the stairs. She appeared in the doorway and pointed at the both of them. “You fuckers need translators for each other. Duro, Auctus thinks you’ve already started something with Dagan. Auctus, Duro thought you two were just taking a time-out not breaking-up for good.”

Duro’s nostrils were flaring in that way Auctus had always found adorable. He looked like a little calf trying to be a bull.

“You thought I was sleeping with Dagan? You thought I broke up with you?”

“Well, Duro, the last time the man I loved told me he needed some time he went off-planet for three weeks and came back married, so yeah, I did.”

“For the last goddamned fucking time, I am not Barca!” Duro yelled so loud the dogs started howling. 

Kore ducked between them and turned off the stove. “I think you two need to talk. Perhaps outside? I’ll make us breakfast.”

“You don’t have to,” Auctus said.

“I want to.” Kore smiled at them. “Go, talk, you need to.”

It was hazy warm outside and Auctus tried not to smile as he saw Duro flinch at the feel of sticky humidity on his skin. It was always obvious, the difference between those raised on real planets and those from the manufactured satellites. Real weather always baffled the kids like Duro. There was no such thing as temperature regulations out here. 

“You get used to it,” Auctus said.

“We didn’t come out here to discuss the weather,” Duro said. 

“No, we didn’t,” he agreed. Auctus took a breath of the sweet-smelling air and turned to face Duro head-on. “I apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. You’re correct, it wasn’t kind to you. You deserved better than that. You deserve better than me, I suppose. I only want to see you happy, Duro.”

“Then pull your head out of your own ass and stop breaking my heart,” Duro said. “I just, you tell me you can give me time and then you fucking abandon me with no notice, no word. My brother knew more than I did. Saying I need space does not mean running away to Kore for an uncertain amount of time without, at the very fucking least, leaving a note. Or even sending one. To know that you’d rather speak to anyone else but me when you’ve called for check-ins fucked me up. I heard you the last time, you know. You flat-out told Varro to find anyone but me.”

“I couldn’t talk to you, Duro.”

“You’ve done a hell of a job the past two days.”

“No,” Auctus said as he shook his head. He tried to find the words. “You don’t understand, you don’t get it, you never have. You have this fucking power over me, even now, even still, that makes me go back on my own word and promises. If you got on that vidchat, you would’ve told me to come home and I’d be on the next transport out. I’d have broken my promise to Kore and to you, about giving you space.”

“You gave me two fucking galaxies worth of space,” Duro cursed. He stood in front of Auctus, barely an inch between them. “I’ve had enough of space. And of this. You don’t want to fight for me, fucking fine. I’ll do it for both of us.”

“That’s not what I—” Auctus words were cut off as Duro pulled him down into a bruising kiss. It actually hurt; he could taste blood in his mouth.

He couldn’t stop.

It’d been too long since he had this, Duro here, in his arms, thriving with energy and emotion. And the taste, god had he missed Duro’s taste. The smell, too, just a bit more with a hint of sweat. The touch felt different, Duro’s hair slick and silky under his fingers. He didn’t want to stop, but they needed to, they had to talk about shit for real for once.

Auctus forced himself back and rested his forehead against Duro’s own. He couldn’t believe how fast his own heart rate had shot up.

“That was good.” He licked his lips and almost smiled at Duro’s little blush. He needed to take his eyes off Duro’s mouth and his whole face-area-place. “That was damn good, but we still need to talk. This is, there are serious things here, Duro. Problems and concerns and fuck, your mouth should not be allowed.” 

He dove in for another kiss that Duro eagerly met. It felt good to have the familiar weight of Duro’s fingers digging into his back. 

Fuck it, they could talk later. Kore would need to be present since clearly they needed adult supervision to discuss things, but Auctus never claimed to be more than a shallow man and he’d like to see anyone try and resist Duro. 

It wouldn’t be smooth sailing ahead, never was for a man like Auctus. Still, he’d learned to love the choppy waves of a turbulent space and all that came with it. Bad times were ahead because they just happened. Best thing was, there would be a lot of good too. He could feel it. It was already different this time than the last. 

Auctus pulled back again and almost laughed at the light in Duro’s eyes. He held out a hand and did laugh as Duro looked confused but still shook it.

“Hey, nice to meet ya. I’m Auctus Sanna. I come with relationship and emotional baggage most people run away from, not to mention a daughter who’s only fourteen years younger than me. You’ll like her, she makes pancakes. I’m good with engines and mechanical things but horrible with people. I’m shit at words, possibly worst at actions, suck at explaining that I really do love the man I love for all his faults and graces, just as he is, with absolutely no reflection on my past relationships other than the standard norm. I’m scared as fuck he’ll finally wise-up one day and go for a younger, better model that doesn’t come with a galaxy full of issues and an ability to not see the worst in everything.”

Duro pulled Auctus hand up and kissed it. “’Sup, I’m Duro Stieber. I steal things for a living, am in a pretty co-dependent sibling relationship, and am in love with an absolutely gorgeous asshole who doesn’t understand that when I say I need space it means, I still need you in the same room with me because I can’t sleep without your scent near. You said something about pancakes?”

Auctus laughed. “I did.”

“Don’t leave me starving, man.”

Auctus wrapped his arms around Duro and led them toward the house. “I can’t leave until I finish Kore’s fence.”

“I told Agron I wasn’t going back to the ship until you came with me,” Duro said. He kissed the side of Auctus neck. “Do I get to watch you work?”

“Yes,” Auctus said, breath stuttering.

Duro smiled. “Will you be shirtless?”

“Most likely.”

“Awesome,” Duro said. “We’ll have fun with that as long as there are no fire ants around. Agron told me about them.”

“We still have to talk,” Auctus said. He was serious about this; they would do it right this time. He wasn’t letting this go again unless Duro really needed to leave.

“We will,” Duro promised. “First we’ll eat, and then we’ll talk. After that, once the yelling and crying has stopped, I fully expect for you fuck me out. Then I’m going to sleep with you on top of me because despite Aurelia’s best medicinal abilities, that shit doesn’t work like it should and I haven’t slept a full night in what, three months now? Then we’ll probably need to repeat it all again, but I’m cool with that if you are.”

“I am,” Auctus said.


	9. I Love Your Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the people we love who make bad days better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the _Amuse Me_ drabble prompt request from gaygreekgladiator

Life wasn’t perfect since they got back to the ship. Duro had days where he missed Kore’s farm and the slower pace of on-planet life. Living on a ship meant you never truly relaxed. It wasn’t natural for a body to be cooped up inside of a tin can traveling the darkest pockets of space. Privacy was more a courtesy than a guarantee. Life in space took its own sort endurance. They all had bad days out here; Duro just hadn’t had one like this since he returned with Auctus.

Three years of what Duro thought was blissful ignorance had been shattered by self-doubt that refused to remain silenced. It was a paradigm shift that came out of nowhere for Duro and made this past annual cycle a hell of a ride. In a sick way, Duro was glad it happened. It helped rip apart the seams of what he and Auctus had become. He liked their foundation now. A mismatched pair always, they were finally more in-synch. 

Agron wasn’t as forgiving as his brother; nor was he in love with Auctus and able to let certain behaviors pass without comment. Agron cared for them and supported them, but his mouth got away from him more often than not. This morning had started with Duro choking down powdered fake eggs while Agron relayed his Top Ten List of Reasons Why Duro Should Find a Younger Man. It’d ended with Duro threatening to rip Agron’s eyes out with his spork 

Duro was curled up in Auctus’ sheets, _Good Omens_ cradled in his hands, when the door slid open.

“Saxa told me you were hiding in here,” Auctus said. 

He traversed the three steps between the bed and the bunk and looked down on him with such actual love in his eyes. Duro knew it was real this time; he now knew the Auctus behind the mask. 

Auctus ran his fingertips down Duro’s face. “Sad day?”

“Sad day,” Duro confirmed. 

“Anything I can do to make you smile?” he asked.

Duro shrugged. “Agron was an ass this morning. I love my brother. I also want to punch him in the balls some days. This is one of them.”

“Hmm,” Auctus said. He held out a hand. “Come on.”

“I don’t actually want you to punch him in the balls,” Duro said. “ _You_ will probably break him and I like Nasir too much for that.”

Auctus smirked. “Engineer’s Vow, I swear not to punch him in the balls. No, this is something rightfully more poetic.”

Duro followed Auctus down three levels of the ship into the very bowels of the engine compartments. Here was the whole bank of security monitors and the set of manual controls for every operation of the ship. When Auctus pulled a wrench out of his toolbox and walked over to the water pipes leading to the shared bathrooms on Agron’s wing, Duro took a second to decide if he should stop him.

A check of the monitors to confirm Nasir was in the mess and _not_ with Agron in the shower stall was all he needed.

“Do your worse,” Duro said with a nod of approval.

The smile on his face from watching Agron run down four sets of stairs while promising bloody murder for having his tepid shower turned into a Hellfire Special didn’t leave Duro’s face all day.


	10. Sirens That Never Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duro begins to unravel after Agron's team falls out of contact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kikidiesunddas requested _Quiet Me_ for the drabble prompt meme. Title from The Gaslight Anthem's _Handwritten_.

“They could’ve run away with the space circus,” Donar said. He shrugged when everyone glared at him. “What? It’s a plausible explanation.”

Agron, Nasir, and Chadara had started what should’ve been a quick cargo drop mission last week. Three days ago their signals disappeared off the embedded grid Aurelia had created. Duro had been losing his shit for two and a half days. He’d gone from cursing out everyone in at least five different languages, to silent pacing, to his current state of constantly staring at his comm unit in hope of a message. He hadn’t slept in at least two days. Any buzz of static had him jumping out of bed and scrambling it in case there was a code. Auctus was at a loss for what to do. Agron and Duro rarely worked missions apart and if they did, they were _never_ out of contact for more than a 36-hour-cycle. 

“The boy needs sleep before he gets all twenty-yards-stare,” Barca said. 

Auctus sighed. He knew Barca was right but short of actually drugging Duro, he didn’t see that happening. “I don’t know if it’d be worse to keep him awake or have him lying in bed thinking of all the possible scenarios. For all we know Agron is using a rubber band and the core of a flash gun to get back to us right now. Or he could be injured. None of them are good. They would never go this long without word.”

“They would if they knew someone was tailing them and all communications from the drop site. I told you this drop reeked of bullshit,” Barca said. 

Auctus laughed under his breath. “It is a blessing to know your ability to comfort has improved.”

“Would you like me to show Duro how I comfort these days?”

“I will take my soldering tools to your cock if you even try,” Auctus promised. 

Barca laughed and patted his shoulder before heading off to his own bed. The others soon scampered off the deck leaving only Donar to pilot the ship and Duro to watch the comms. Auctus slid behind Duro and wrapped his arms around his waist. Nothing was said as Duro leaned into his touch. 

“Sleep,” Auctus said. He kissed the soft skin behind Duro’s ear. “I will wake you the second we hear something.”

Duro barely had the energy to nod. He curled into Auctus’ arms, safe enough to finally let go for now.

*******************

A full week had passed since they lost contact. Everyone on the ship was tense but none more so than Duro and Dagan. Both were missing their family and both felt responsible for not being with Agron, Nasir, or Chadara. Dagan and Mira had both gone out on search missions with no success.

 

Auctus hadn’t given up hope yet. If Agron had hijacked a piece of shit transport it would take two weeks at the very least to get from the job site to their ship. Maybe it was his experience as a space lifer but there was a feeling to it when shit went tragic, an oppressive air that overtook everything. This wasn’t one of those times. This felt like one bullshit mistake after the other culminating into the worse possible scenario while Agron tried to get back home with two rookies to the space traveling game. None of the factors meant a quick or easy return. They were probably starting to run out of resources though. It was time for Auctus to take control.

That morning he woke to find Duro already gone from their bed. Auctus knew where he was this time. He turned the corridor and found Duro staring down at the docking bay. His shoulders shook and gave away his tears even though he kept quiet. Auctus pried Duro’s hands from their white-knuckled hold on the bars. He tucked Duro into his side and maneuvered them to a sitting position. 

“They’ll come home,” he swore.

“You can’t know that,” Duro stuttered out. 

Auctus ran his fingers through Duro’s hair until his breathing evened out. “One more search mission, you and me, what do you say?”

Duro shook his head. “You don’t leave the ship unless you have to.”

“Yeah,” Auctus agreed. He rested his forehead against Duro’s own. “This is one of those times.”

“Mira and Dagan looked,” Duro argued.

Auctus scoffed. “Don’t make me repeat my age and years of experience; you make me feel old enough as is, Duro.” He kissed Duro’s nose. “Come on; get your ass off this cold floor. We’ve got three lost kittens to find.”

Duro reluctantly followed him to one of the jumpers. “Shouldn’t we tell someone?”

“Barca’s got us covered,” Auctus said. He sat down in the pilot’s chair and took a moment to laugh. “Fuck it has been years since I led a rescue mission. The last time I was wearing a uniform like a respectable man.” He booted-up the control screen and patted the space next to him. “Sit.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not standard operating procedure,” Duro snarked.

Attitude was good; it meant his Duro was coming back. “Fuck protocol we’ve got people to find and you need a hug.”

Duro sat down without further protest. “I really do love you a whole fucking lot,” he said as the ship’s main hatch lowered.

Auctus smiled at him before directing them out into space. “I love you a whole fucking lot too.”

*********************

There were a lot of old, abandoned satellite work stations this far out past the border planets. There wasn’t much in the way of life to be found on them, but running water and heat were usually a given. It was all a matter of looking for inconsistent heat patterns. The government grunts and their bots didn’t come out this far since it fucked with their flimsy modern technology. This was strictly the territory of thieves and salvagers; Auctus’ very own people. Agron was a damn good thief but he didn’t know shit about hiding three human heat signatures in the steel heap of a station. It was almost hilarious how easy Auctus found them and the piece of shit transport pod Agron used to get them there. 

Duro was out of his seat before Auctus had even brought the jumper to a standard hover pattern. He checked to make sure the air levels were safe inside the station and did a quick hack to the docking gate to let them inside.

“How the hell did you do that?” Duro asked.

Auctus shook his head. “Oh, there are some secrets of the guild I hold close to my chest. It’s in my will. You should read it again when you’re bored.”

“You don’t have permission to die without me,” Duro reminded him. “I’m passing it all on to Agron, Kore, and Janus.”

“Then Janus will know the secret,” Auctus said. He lowered the hatch and tried the warning unit over their comm. No answer.

“Alright you fuckers, you better not be dead,” Duro yelled as he hopped out onto the steel planks below.

“It’s about fucking time,” Chadara answered. Her hair was a mess and her clothes torn and stained. “We’ve been living off expired fucking cal-bars and rusty water for the past week since your genius of a brother decided to hack a transport fit for nothing but a scrap heap.”

“Hey,” Agron yelled as he came out, “who the fuck dropped our comm units into a trash compactor?” There were scratches and bruises on in face, but he looked well.

“Will both of you shut the fuck up,” Nasir declared. He looked the worse of the lot. 

Auctus would bet his last pay take that Nasir had the migraine to end all migraines. Well, if he and Agron got through this together, they were clearly meant for life. From the hand Nasir had wrapped around Agron’s wrist, Auctus would say they were golden. 

“We were trying to make a radio with salvaged parts,” Nasir explained. “Thank gods you found us.”

“The steel in this station would've muffled any outside signals,” Auctus said. 

“Told you,” Agron muttered.

Duro looked at all three of them and shook his head. He marched over to Agron first and flat-out punched him in the gut. “Don’t you _ever_ fucking do that to me again. Where the hell were your back-up comms? Your triple back-up comms? Your handheld dash? Do you want to know where they were? In your fucking quarters.”

“I was distracted before departure,” Agron wheezed out. He pulled Duro into a hug with his free arm. “I promise, never fucking again. Four for a job is definitely a new rule too. Two teams at least.”

Auctus nodded in approval. “Awesome. Everyone grab your bags and get in the jumper. Let’s get home before there’s a mutiny and we do raise suspicion by having a whole fleet of jumpers and a base ship out here.”

Auctus watched them all with a fondness, especially Duro and Agron who tackled each other to grab the bag of credit chips. He sure as hell was an old timer space fool, but it least it helped keep his family together.


	11. Better Than Drinking Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four Drinks in Four Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For an anon who requested Auctus/Duro "Drink Me" or "Join Me"

1\. _After the Explosion_

There was a fog in Auctus’ brain and a dryness to his tongue that could only mean medically induced sleep. He wondered what he did this time. He tried to sit up, but the numbness around his abdomen stopped him. He cracked an eye opened and saw the trunk of his body was encased in medi-wrap. 

“You fucked up,” Barca said. “You saved the ship, but you still fucked up.”

“If we’re not dead and this isn’t some special level of Hell, then how exactly did I fuck up?”  
He felt like a deep-mining tractor had backed over him ten times and honestly? The last thing Auctus wanted to do was argue with Barca.

“Duro,” Barca said. Just one word; it was enough.

 _Fuck_. It was all coming back to Auctus now. Someone had jammed the manual overrides for the engines. Steam, pressure, and a whole bunch of force had built up to cause a small, insignificant explosion. It wasn’t the first time an engine had done that to Auctus and he doubted it would be the last. If a cycle went by without random fires popping up in the engine parts, he counted it as a win.

He’d taken shrapnel on the job before; hell, a quarter of his body was probably metal by now, but that didn’t mean other people, especially space thief brats, were used to the sight of abdominal stab wounds. 

“He okay?” Auctus asked.

Barca nodded. “After yelling so loud and long he lost his voice, yeah, he’s fine.”

Well fuck.

“His brother’s going to murder me.”

“We’ve staged Mira outside your door for protection,” Barca agreed. “While you were busy being sedated and giving Duro a panic attack, Aurelia had her baby. Janus is the name of our newest crew member. We’ll be making an unscheduled stop at Tomis to drop off our morgue guest. I suggest you get some rest because Duro’s voice will heal soon and I have a feeling you’re in for a long, fucking lecture my friend.”

Auctus grimaced. “Noted. Thanks, Barca, for everything.”

Barca shrugged. “Can’t let you die yet. I’m still waiting to see your happy ending.”

Auctus stared up at the metal grating of the ceiling and cursed himself for the words he knew would slip out of his mouth. “I already have one stab wound, let’s leave my back alone.”

“Noted,” Barca said. He patted Auctus’ shoulder in a way that still felt awkward. “Duro’s a good kid, Auctus. He’s loyal and has a heart as big as the fucking Geb Crater Ridge. Don’t go after him if you’re going to break it.”

Auctus kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. “Casual reminder that it’s none of your fucking business.”

“Casual reminder that someone has to watch after your ass and until someone else steps up, it’s me or Aurelia and she’s a little busy recovering from labor, so fucking deal with it.”

*********************

Two days later Auctus was finally allowed out of the healing wrap and back to business as usual. There was only a faint scar on his skin, courtesy of the top-notch medical equipment on this old ship and Barca’s natural talent. He hadn’t seen much of anyone over the past few days. He wasn’t insulted; newborn baby trumped healing engineer, and besides all that they had an almost-crashed ship to get back in working order. They’d docked at Tomis that morning and were surely going to be stuck for at least three days past their scheduled departure date. That’s just how Tomis worked. 

He hadn’t seen Duro at all. He’d felt him, smelled traces of his shampoo and soap, but hadn’t laid eyes on him since before the engine room incident. Auctus was still trying to puzzle out what that meant when he finally stumbled back to his room. Duro was sitting on his bed, flipping through Auctus’ copy of _Good Omens_. There were two unopened beers on the bedside shelf. It was reminiscent of their first real conversation together and Auctus had to wonder if that was intentional. 

“You’ve been absent,” Auctus said.

Duro’s lips twisted into the dark mockery of a smile. “I had some voice issues; couldn’t really speak at first and I thought it better not to curse out an invalid.” He put the book aside and leaned forward. His hands easily lifted Auctus’ shirt before he could react or back away. Rough fingertips traced over the newly healed, sensitive skin. “Not too bad for a near-death experience,” he said.

Auctus had to remember how to breathe steadily. “It wasn’t that bad from the start.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Duro said. “You had metal sticking out of your body. There was blood in your mouth. You passed out on me. Do not fucking tell _me_ it wasn’t that bad.”

“We didn’t crash,” Auctus said. He wasn’t trying to be a hardass; there were certain injuries that were par for the course when you took care of an engine room on a spaceship and you were hurtling towards an explosion of an end.  
Duro looked at him with a mutinous expression. Auctus reached down and soothed the wrinkled line of Duro’s brow. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to see that, but Duro, I’ve been through worse.”

Duro shook his head. “Well, that shit ends now. Do you understand me? Right now.”

Auctus nodded. He didn’t get it, the power this grubby little space rat had over him already. Shit like this didn’t happen to Auctus. He didn’t want to fight it though.

“Good,” Duro said. He sat back and pulled the beers off the shelf. “Let’s drink to good health and you not making me shit my own pants again in the future.”

 

2\. _After the first Kore Visit_

Duro was sitting in the concourse of Tungri waiting for their shuttle to Nova Roma, then Adonis, and finally Tomis. It was a hell of a run-around to get from A to B, but anything to keep Kore safe and sound.

Kore, who was only about six years younger than him. Kore, who at sixteen was already going through the plans of running her own farm on a planet with natural air, sun, and water. Kore, who had her mother’s beauty and father’s attitude. She was kind of amazing and Duro sort of adored her, if only for her wit and pancake-making ability. That wasn’t really true; he _did_ adore her because she was a genuine person. Duro had gotten good at picking the good from the shitty over the years; you got a feel for people when your livelihood involved seamlessly fitting into various worlds so as not to stand out. It meant a lot to have the honor of meeting her in person. Her smile shone in a way that never quite came through on the vid-chats. Duro just flat out _liked_ her and, surprisingly and more importantly, she felt the same. So did Cassandra, her mother, who had encouraged both Auctus and Duro to visit whenever they could.

He looked up into the natural light of Tungri’s sun shining through the glass and took a moment to bathe in the feel of it. He’d never get used to this, living without the stale air of a ship or satellite, the absence of a metallic taste in the water, life lived according to land time as opposed to ‘sphere time. 

“Such a space rat,” Auctus said. He slid down next to Duro and kissed his temple. “You almost act like you’re scared of it.”

Duro turned his attention to Auctus. “Second Rule of Ship Piloting: Avoid the Suns.”

“And the first?” Auctus asked.

Duro’s hand clenched over Auctus’ side. “Don’t Crash,” he said. He noticed that Auctus was holding two glass bottles of some oddly colored beverage in his other hand. “What the hell is that? It looks like fucked up murky engine oil.”

Auctus frowned. “It’s fresh squeezed orange juice,” he said as if the answer was obvious.

“I know orange is a color,” Duro said. “Never knew it was a juice.”

Auctus handing one of the bottles over. “Just drink it; it’s good for you.”

Duro took it and grimaced at the burn. He’d had cal-citrus-drinks before, they were a required part of ship travel, but this shit fucking burned. 

Auctus’ shoulders shook with his silent laughter. “Duro, what the hell am I going to do with you?”

Duro stopped coughing long enough to smirk. “Oh, I have a few ideas.”

 

3\. _After the Reunion_

Duro almost looked childlike as he stared up at Polis’ blue moon. In the three years Auctus had known him, Duro had yet to lose his fascination with natural atmosphere planets. Duro would always be a child of life among the stars, in a ship, but it was good to know he could live and thrive on firm ground too. 

Well, not too firm. Auctus swiped at the mud and grass-stains on Duro’s knees and laughed at the look he got in response.

“You’re always such a mess,” he said. He cupped the back of Duro’s head and ran his fingers through the newly shorn hair. “I missed it.”

“And you’re always such an asshole,” Duro said with a laugh. “Good thing I missed it too.”

They’d talked yesterday, last night, this morning, and all of today. They’d talked until their voices had gone hoarse and there was nothing left but to let actions take over words. They were still in that slow sort of haze that came with reunion; at least this time they were clear what they wanted from the start and no stumbling into it like the stupid jackasses they were the first time. 

When everyone around you tells you not to fuck each other up and then you do it anyway out of a mixture of fear and stubbornness, it’s not a good sign. When you fix it on your own, in your own way, knowing each other enough to fix it right, that makes it a little better. Auctus still felt a little hopeless, but it was a hopelessness he felt together _with_ Duro instead of away and apart. 

Auctus was glad to welcome the better back into his life. 

“You boys ready for some drinks?” Kore asked as she slid in next to him. She passed a beer to Auctus, kept one to herself, but hid Duro’s behind her back. “I got a special something for you, since Papa told me it’s one of your rare indulgences.” She passed over a bottle of orange juice to Duro who grinned in delight.

“I never thought to see you take juice over beer,” Kore said.

“It’s really fucking good,” Duro said as he opened the bottle.

“You never guessed how much he hated it the first time,” Auctus said. “Face like a wailing newborn.”

“You could’ve fucking warned me about the pulp,” Duro said as he rested his chin on Auctus’ shoulder. “Not all of us grew up with knowledge of what you strange land lovers do.”

Auctus rested his beer on the ground before wrapping one arm around Kore and the other around Duro. This, right here, was about as damn good as his life could ever get. 

 

4\. _Before the Vacation_

Their ship was going in for a three month overhaul from top deck to basement engine and they were all getting a personal overhaul on Adonis, or whatever other planet struck their fancy, as well. Adonis was going to be the base for the crew until it was time to return to the ship. Duro wasn’t exactly overjoyed about it; he loved certain people on the planet and always was up for a drink with Gannicus, and a chess match with Diona, but in general he liked to spend his off-ship time at Kore’s. 

“We’ll put in our appearance for a week and then leave for Kore-girl’s,” Auctus said, correctly guessing his thoughts as they packed. 

“I don’t see why we can’t just go right there,” Duro whined. “I mean, why do we have to stay _a whole week_?”

“Because Gannicus wants to see your raggedy ass and I’d like to catch up with him,” Auctus said. Teasing fingers snuck below Duro’s belt. “Besides, it’s one of the rare times we’ll have a room full of space and luxurious fabrics.”

“I prefer cramped corners and cold metal walls,” Duro said. He couldn’t help it as he bucked into Auctus’ hand. “They’re almost our trademark.”

Auctus soft laugh made Duro shiver when the breath skittered across his skin. “You know, we _are_ supposed to be in the mess having celebratory drinks with the others.”

Duro often wondered how he got saddled with such a wise-ass of a man, but considering his own personality, he knew he deserved it. He reached a hand back to cup Auctus’ magnificent ass before grinding back into him. It was a victory to feel the shudder run through that body.

“Still want those drinks?” Duro asked.


	12. An Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to visit the planet of Adonis, meet Diona, and see the foundations of Diona/Saxa/Chadara.

Adonis was once a satellite planet of academics and religious houses before funding got pulled and it was left to rot in the far reaches of space. Smugglers, thieves, and miners kept it alive; even with government money pulled; it still had one of the most stable space docks and concourses around. It also had some of the classiest and most successful whorehouses this side of the asteroid belt. They’d taken over the running of the planet, its economy, its laws, and its protection forces on their own. Men and women still turned to the trade for lack of other options, but at least on Adonis safe places, homes, and future employment was provided for if/when they wanted to get out. 

Agron had waited awhile to take Dagan, Nasir, and Chadara here. There was an attitude that often came with those from the more “civilized” planets. They had a natural tendency to look down on those on the edge, especially anyone even hinting at an occupation of a _space whore_. No matter how intelligent, how kind, how wealthy, how successful some of these men and women became, old prejudices from the old world never really faded on Legiona’s urban center planets. Agron hoped after a full annual cycle living in the space boondocks their attitudes had changed. He just didn’t want to have to break up any fights between Gannicus and Dagan; he was pretty damn sure the only loser would be him. 

“I know Saxa has been in-residence here for some time, but could she not just meet us at the port? Why are we all off-ship?” Chadara asked. 

Agron was distracted from answering when Naevia squealed and broke from their group. She ran into the waiting arms of a beautiful dark-haired woman who immediately engulfed her and started to shower her hair and face with kisses. 

“We are here to see family,” he said.

“Who is she?” Chadara asked.

Agron shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell.”

******************

Once Diona had been a whore for lack of choice; forced into it by a system which only bred failure for those not born to a certain class. Now she helped facilitate the escape, travel, employment, and accommodations from other planets for girls like herself. Once nothing more than the plaything of rich men and women’s, she now held a position of power and respect. Each young person ripped from the claws of Legiona’s underbelly was a victory and worth more than any pay cred. 

Her job was important, more a duty really, and Diona didn’t get see much of those she considered family. It was a gift to have Naevia here in her arms, so healthy and happy looking, so different from when they first stumbled into the port of Adonis. They took care of each other on that ship, still she didn’t expect every last member of _The Boat_ ’s crew to accompany Naevia. It made Diona relax to see them all gathered, old and new, to share this moment with one Diona considered a true sister.

Saxa and Gannicus were already on-site, had been for some time, but it’d been years since she’d seen Duro, Auctus, Varro, Aurelia, and little Janus. Some crewmembers were more frequent guests than others.

“Agron,” she said as the big lug pulled her into a hug. “If I knew you were coming, I would’ve asked Theo if he was so inclined to clear his schedule.”

If she believed such a thing possible, she would’ve sworn Agron blushed. From the loud sniggers Duro, Crixus, and Pietros weren’t attempting to hide, she knew her eyes didn’t lie.

“Not necessary,” Agron said. He motioned to a group behind him and three strangers stepped forward. There were two men, one tall, one short, both dark of skin, eyes, and hair. A petite woman also stood with them, golden hair pulled back in a severe braid with eyes that took in every detail around them.

“I see you’ve finally expanded the crew,” Diona said. She patted Naevia’s head she her muffled laughter tickled her neck. “It was about time you got some new blood in there.”

“You know our strays policy,” Agron said. “Please meet Chadara, Dagan, and Nasir.” His voice went softer on the last name. “They are recent Legiona defectors.” 

Diona smiled warmly at them, recalling her own adjustment period to life on the outskirts. “Well then, let me be the first to officially welcome you to Adonis. May you find all you seek within our borders.”

She gave Chadara an extra wide smile and was pleased with the smirk that met her in response.

**************************

It wasn’t entirely uncommon for members of _The Boat_ ’s crew to stay with her for their shore-leave, vacation, time-off, whichever phrase used by the one seeking refuge from the tin can dump that Agron and Duro Stieber liked to call a spaceship. The body needed time off-ship to keep enduring life in space. The Lifers, like Auctus, Diona had no clue how they stayed sane.

Maybe they didn’t. Auctus decided his salvation _was_ in Duro Stieber after all. 

Saxa had come to her completely burnt out and in need of being taken out of her own head. Most people wouldn’t see it; would figure Saxa was just being extra rude in language and rough in temper. Diona could see it in her eyes though, the weariness, the need for someone else to be the stronger one just for a little while longer. She had her regrets about fucking off to Adonis longer than intended. She wasn’t too pleased finding Gannicus already in-residence, only because everyone knew when Marcia was here, Gannicus almost turned monogamous. Still, Saxa had mentioned the name of one new interest she missed, and that woman stood before Diona now. 

Chadara, a name that pleasantly rolled around Diona’s mouth. She was beautiful in the way Legiona’s citizens appreciated; all light, eyes, skin, hair, voice. She wore the veneer and grace of a city raised orphan; there was that hesitation in her manner, the grateful joy in her eye whenever any called her friend, sister, or part of the crew. It was the screaming signal of one who always wanted to belong to a family. The other newcomers, Dagan and Nasir, had a touch of it, but Dagan appeared the loner type and Nasir clearly already had a place. Chadara wanted to belong yet she was suspicious of too much good in her life. Diona now understood why Saxa had come to her, cursing, fighting, and tired. Saxa was used to getting everything in life with an ease; Chadara was a challenge for any who sought more than just the pleasure of her company. 

A small laugh and a teasing whisper of hair and Diona found the former Captain of Capua at her side.

“Marcia finally let you free,” she teased.

“One of us needed to seek greater sustenance,” Gannicus said. His hair was a mess and he wore nothing save a small table cloth. 

Diona shook her head and pulled a robe out of the closet. “Attempt decency; we have guests.”

Gannicus shrugged on the robe and handed his table cloth to Diona. He sauntered over to the balcony and looked onto the gardens where the crew of _The Boat_ sprawled out for an afternoon meal. He yawned in disinterest at most, though his eyes widened to see how large Janus had grown.

“He will soon stand taller than his mother,” Gannicus said.

“And learn to fear her even more that he comprehends her terrifying power,” Diona said. There were some wolves out here and space and Aurelia? She was a pack leader.

Gannicus grunted in agreement. He pointed to Chadara below. “That is the woman Saxa moans about in your bed?” he asked. He glanced at Diona and smirked. “You have mighty competition for Saxa’s heart.”

Diona slapped his ass before she resumed her place on the balcony. “Who says Saxa is the only heart I wish to claim? There is something about this Chadara. I recognize traces of my old self in her.”

Gannicus laughed again and pressed his finger to the tip of Diona’s nose. “Ah, so you seek to mentor her in all things? With Saxa at your side.” He grinned wide. “May I join you?”

Diona shook her head at Ganncius’ words; there were little truth in them. Besides Marcia, there was only one other bed Gannicus ever really sought these days; Diona and Saxa’s were not it. 

“We will see what comes of it,” Diona declared. She patted Gannicus’ hair and left him staring out at the natural sun of Adonis.   
She had plans to make; she was good at that, courses of action. She enjoy these first few days in Naevia’s company before Crixus grew bored and begged her to travel further in planet. After that, Saxa should’ve returned from the job she took outside the main city. It was be plenty of time to gather information on Chadara, gauge her interest, check her past, and to form plans. Diona looked forward to the challenge. She just wondered if both Saxa and Chadara would be as agreeable with the outcome Diona sought.


	13. Sail On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crossposted from tumblr based on a Tell Me Prompt from bluefaeriedust

Gannicus was two galaxies away from his normal watering hole when the need for a night of true debauchery trilled through his blood. It didn’t happen often that the former Captain of Capua found the need to drink himself into the next century on some backwater planet deep past the border lines, but it did happen. This was the airspace of the true pirates; not the Robin-Hood like spacers found on _The Boat_ , but the tattooed and rough souls of men and women who’d seen it all. These were the ones born on mining colonies with their first breath of air full of planet dust; they were those who loved fast and killed faster; they were the people Gannicus’ parents came from, before they sold him off to the military and promises of a better life. 

He docked at Lycia and stumbled into one of the local bars. Even in this crowd, there were familiar faces to be found. He ordered his drink, a local concoction that was just a step above moonshine, and waited. 

He didn’t have to wait long. A wandering hand found its way to his hair.

“You have the luscious locks of a woman,” a smooth voice whispered in his ear. “Luckily for you, I prefer to fuck men.”

Gannicus laughed and eagerly met Castus’ wide grin. “You’re still alive, I see.”

“As are you,” Castus said. He took his seat and gestured for his own drink. “I heard you’ve been slouching around with amateur thieves. I expected to read reports of your death splashed along the intergalactic dash.”

“I live to drink and fuck another day,” Gannicus said. He toasted the glass Castus held up. “So, any adventures to tell me of?”

There was a slight twist to Castus’ lips, a bitterness Gannicus recognized and shared. “Who was he?” he asked.

“A face already lost,” Castus said. “I spied him on the docks from a distance. Dark hair, dark eyes, gorgeous skin, and a laugh that echoed throughout the port. I tried to catch him, but the authorities got to me first. Sad; the bounty on his head would’ve supplied me in whores for half-a-year.”

“You couldn’t have been persuaded to let the bounty drop?” Gannicus asked. He frowned; that wasn’t like Castus. He was a man easily bought by sex, baubles, and a good time. He was much like Gannicus, in both the good and bad ways.

Castus shrugged. “Perhaps if he had stopped to appreciate my smile. Dagan was his name. I should seek his details and location on the prison release forms.”

Gannicus’ years as a spy were the only thing that kept him from choking on his drink. He pulled out his dash and added enough credits to cover Castus’ tab for the night. He stood and patted his friend’s shoulder. “I go to Adonis and the arms of Marcia. If you _truly_ wish to hold pleasant conversation with the face that haunts you, join me there in six months. Alone; without any of your brethren. You wreak havoc in Diona’s home, she will do worse than kill you.”

Castus looked insulted. “Adonis is neutral ground. We respect them.” He swirled his drink. “You can promise this?”

“I wouldn’t vow my life on it; let’s just say I have a fish on the line.”

“It’s a pretty big fish,” Castus said.

Gannicus patted Castus’ cheek. “Only the best are. Take care, my friend. If all the gods in all the worlds are against us, I will see you on the other side.”

Castus nodded. “Fair winds and following seas,” he said.

Gannicus crawled back into his tiny transport, pulled away from the dock, and thought of Marcia’s warm smiles and the sweet smell of her hair. He could lose himself in the pull of her voice and the softness of her thighs; it wasn’t quite the debauchery he planned, but it many ways it was even better. 

He laughed to himself as he left. It was time to sail on.


	14. New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kore wasn't expecting a traveling companion when she set out. Her momma would've laughed at her for making such plans.

Kore Kartal-Sanna hadn’t lived the typical life of a planet dweller. She liked to escape across the stars a lot as a child. Her mother, perhaps out of gratitude for finding her daughter alive each time, had taught her how to live as opposed to punishing her. It was why when, at the age of twelve, Kore traveled to some of the former Resistance strong-hold satellites on her own to find her father, her mother didn’t’ send authorities to follow. She trusted Kore to find her way there, and for Auctus to contact Cassandra to retrieve her. Some parents would’ve judged Cassandra, but Kore knew her mother saw just a bit more than most. 

Kore hadn’t traveled often since the jaunt past the Dust Belt planets. She thrived off the stories of her parents and their friends. She missed the rush of discovery and adventure. There had only been a few trips here and there each year to check potential buyers for her product. She was twenty now, with an up-and-running farm, a foreman, and a need for a vacation.

“You can’t go out there on your _own_ ,” Lydon, her foreman, said. “Kore, Adonis is out near the Deep.”

“It’ll be fine, Lydon,” she promised. “I have a knack for traveling on my own. Besides, there are always some folks out there watching for me.”

“I don’t like it,” Lydon said. He frowned as he found the small blade hidden in one of her jackets. “This doesn’t help.”

“I’m not stupid enough to travel without some protection,” Kore said. She tugged the knife free and slipped it into the sheath hidden under her shirt. “Don’t let my farm die while I’m gone.”

“I would never let all this hard work go to waste,” Lydon said. “Me and the dogs will hold the place down. Just, be _safe_ , Kore, and call when you get to Adonis.”

“As soon as I get in the space port,” she promised. There was a blaring of a horn outside which meant the transport bus had arrived. She hugged Lydon one last time. “Don’t burn the house down.”

****************

Kore stopped by to see Lugo in Tomis, picking up any mail waiting for the crew of _The Boat_. She’d told Aurelia she was following them to Adonis, so they wouldn’t be totally taken by surprise, but she figured Aurelia was just evil enough to keep that information to herself. Maybe; it depended on how much Aurelia loved Duro that day.

There was a woman sitting in one of the booths, obviously from a realm under Legiona’s influence by the style of her clothes. They were worn though, and her hands were shaking, and she looked completely out of place.

“Who’s the stray?” she asked Lugo.

“Didn’t give a name,” Lugo said. “She only has a charity cred card. She was supposed to leave with the transport going to the Dust Belt Drop-Off.”

“Her?” Kore asked. The Dust Belt were some of the toughest planets; a whole connection of miners and their like. It was not the place for such a woman.

Lugo nodded. “I might’ve lied and said it was delayed; you know the port has issues. I’m hoping some kindly soul will help guide her to a different place.”

Kore shook her head. “Why do I have a feeling that kindly soul will be me?”

“Because Aurelia said you would be stopping here on the way to Adonis,” he said. He patted her shoulder with one of his meaty hands. “Go on, Kore, honor the Resistance Code. She’s obviously new to this life. You don’t want someone else guiding her through hell.”

Kore could only imagine what would happen. In general the ‘verse was full of decent enough people, but it looked the lady had already had her fair share of nasty surprises. The very least Kore could do was supervise her on the way to Adonis. Kore pushed off the counter and walked over to the booth. The woman was younger than Kore originally thought, older than Aurelia, but younger than Cassandra. She had long red hair, the color catching in the artificial light of Tomis’ sky. Soft, pale skin and a round face spoke to a life of leisure before now. There were bruises though, and a mark on her arm. Kore almost hissed when she recognized the brand of Heracleo, the fucking mercenary jackass. Auctus had warned her that he was dangerous, both as a friend and an enemy, and it was never good to get on his bad side, or fall a step behind him.

This woman had obviously missed that warning.

“Need to get out of here?” Kore asked.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said, “I don’t believe I know you.”

“I’m Kore,” she said, “so you know me now. Well, you don’t really know me, but you can know someone for years and not _know_ them. Lugo said you missed your flight. I’ve got a seat reserved next to me if you want to see Adonis.”

“The whore planet?” the woman asked.

Kore laughed. “More than just whores; hell, my momma still lives there and she hasn’t made money from sex in years. People just like to talk to her more often than not. Trust me; Adonis isn’t how you Legiona folks like to paint it. It’s a haven for the lost.”

The woman lowered her eyes at that last word. “I can’t repay you.”

“Didn’t think you could when I offered,” Kore admitted. She held out her hand. “Come on, let’s get going.”

“Laeta,” the woman said as she took Kore’s hand. “My name is Laeta.”

Kore smiled, kind and gentle, and nodded. “Nice to meet you Laeta. Now, let’s get out of Tomis before the port goes down again.”

*******************

Laeta came from Sinuessa, one of the grain planets that supplied Legiona’s forces. The band of even paler skin on the ring finger of her left hand spoke to some sort of broken promise. Her laugh always sounded incredulous and she was far more fucking intelligent than anyone ever gave her credit for, Kore could guess. She wasn’t used to harsh treatment; by the way she kept covering up the mark on her arm, and flinching away from any stranger who passed their seats. Kore didn’t know what made Laeta trust her, but she liked to think it was a something more immaterial than a nice smile. 

Laeta was used to life on planets with natural environments, and not the simulated kind on the terraformed satellites. She seemed actually, truly, interested in Kore’s farm. She didn’t favor the grain alcohol the transport served, but she appreciated cool, clean water. She also fell asleep an hour out of their arrival; Kore was trying to concentrate on anything but the feel of that soft hair against her arm. 

Kore could see the outline of Adonis’ moon as they prepared to land, and she tried to make herself believe the butterflies in her stomach were from the excitement over seeing her dad, and Duro, again. It was half-working, at the very least. 

Kore lightly tapped her fingers against the vulnerable skin of Laeta’s wrist. “We’re here,” she whispered. 

Laeta frowned and the line between her brows furrowed in an adorable way as she tried to wake-up. Eyes blinked and fluttered for a moment, then widened when they finally remembered Kore, and where they were. Laeta turned her heard to look out the window and gasped.

“I did not expect it to look so alive,” she confessed. “There are so many trees.”

“Legiona left it to rot; the people of Adonis rebuilt it on their own, and a few generous donations from those who use it as a vacation retreat. You’d be surprised at the wealth of some lifetime Spacers,” she said.

Laeta looked down at her hands. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“Don’t look to it as a gift yet,” Kore said. “You still have to survive the many meetings.”

They were just departing and gathering Kore’s bags when she felt eyes on her.

“First lesson,” Kore said, “just go with the hugs.”

“Kore-girl!” Duro yelled. He damn near tackled her to the floor. “New friend is pretty,” he murmured. She slapped the back of his head and winked at her father and mother as she relaxed into the tight hug. 

When she caught Laeta’s eye there was a true smile there. It was a start, a good one. She rolled her eyes at Duro’s low laugh. “Stop it before you scare her,” she warned.

“What’s her name?”

Kore grinned as she anticipated the feel of it on her tongue. “Laeta, and she’s new to the side of the world, so you be nice to her Duro Stieber or I’ll tell Aurelia on you.”


	15. Little Hurts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off the prompt Fight Me, Auctus/Duro, as requested by Jan on tumblr.

Someone was pounding on Agron’s door, and they wouldn’t stop. He startled awake and fell off his bed, before rolling into the locker that held his clothes, and finally reaching the control panel of his door. His brother stepped over him, stormed into the room, and crawled into Agron’s bed without a word.

“Trouble in newly found paradise?” Agron asked. “I guess that’s what happens when you start with major sharp force trauma and a sinking ship.”

Duro remained silent; his stealing of the one blanket was enough revenge. Agron sighed and forced himself off the floor. He nudged Duro until he gave up some of the bunk space, and then crawled in beside him. “You obviously don’t want to talk about it, but I think you probably should.”

“He laughed at how I brush my teeth,” Duro muttered.

“What?” Agron asked. He couldn’t have heard that right.

“He laughed at how I brush my teeth,” Duro said. “He laughed until there were tears in his goddamned eyes and then, after he stopped laughing, said no planet-bound folk have brushed their teeth like that in centuries. I told him he could kiss my ass, and came here.” Duro hunched his shoulders. The voice that came out then was small. “No one makes fun of the way momma taught me to brush my teeth. _No one_. No matter how hot they are.”

Agron pretended to puke into Duro’s hair; it was childish, but it got a smile back on his face. “Hey, baby bro, no one tells the Stiebers how to brush their teeth. He just can’t handle the awesome power of our grooming habits.”

Duro nodded. “Right.”

Agron dug his chin into Duro’s shoulder. “You should still go talk to him though. Auctus can’t have known it was mom who taught you that; he’s an asshole, but I don’t think he’s that much of one.”

“I thought you’d be happy about this,” Duro said. “You told me not to get involved with him.”

“Whatever makes you happy, will make me happy. Whatever pisses you off, will piss me off. We’re in this together, like always.”

Duro laughed. “What do I do if he makes me happy, but he pisses me off too?”

“Pray, I suppose,” Agron teased. He flicked Duro’s ear to stop his grumbling. “Go tell him why he was an asshole.” He was worried, years ago, that it would be exhausting to act like a pseudo-parent when they’d lost their own, and their uncle. All this time later and Agron still didn’t mind it. 

A tentative knock came through the door. Agron and Duro both turned and stared at it. “I think it’s for you,” Agron said.

Duro nodded. He climbed over Agron and took a deep breath, before hitting the control panel. Auctus stood on the other side looking worried. Hell, looking the most worried Agron had _ever_ seen him, and he’d watched the guy talk about possible engine failure while they were flying. 

“I apologize if you took my words as an insult,” Auctus said before Duro could open his mouth. He was speaking all proper-like, and that was just odd coming from Auctus. “I realized they could be taken as such, and that wasn’t my intention. I didn’t mean to pass judgment on what is obviously an important tradition to you. You treat it like a ritual, I realize that now.” He bowed his head and made to step away, but Duro reached out. His fingers curled around Auctus’ wrist and rested there.

Agron held his breath as he waited; whatever Duro did next would decide it all. Duro leaned forward, and Auctus wrapped his arms around him. 

“Do it again, and I’ll hurt you,” Duro said.

Duro couldn’t see Auctus’ face, or the tears that glittered in the low artificial light of the ship, or the silent prayer he mouthed to the ceiling, but Agron could. Little hurts and disagreements could become festering wounds and big fights. Agron was glad this one was resolved. Duro, for all his smiles and jokes, rarely _genuinely_ connected to another living soul so fast. 

He hoped this wouldn’t end in disaster, but the Stiebers kind of had a knack for it.

************************

They were gathered around the dinner table of Diona’s home on Adonis. Kore, Auctus’ daughter, sat next to Nasir, discussing some treatise that had sent all the stuffy-ass Citizens into a flurry on Legiona-affiliated planets. Laeta, their newest stray, occasionally had her own opinions to add to the discussion. Agron should’ve been more suspicious of her, but he was more taken with Auctus and Duro.

Something had happened, after the major fight, or break-up, or whateverthefuck it was, but before their return to _The Boat_. Agron had noticed it in general when they returned, but he hadn’t seen its extent until Auctus had rescued him, Nasir, and Chadara during that mission disaster. They were freakishly in-sync; like Sura and Spartacus, Mira and Donar, Aurelia and Varro, Barca and Pietros, hell they had become a _them_. His little brother, so recently in utter fucking heartbreak, had somehow managed to work himself into an established relationship, now finally stable, with Auctus.

“What?” Duro asked as he wiped at his face. 

Auctus frowned. “There’s nothing there.”

Duro pointed at Agron. “He’s staring at me.”

“He’s staring at _us_ ,” Auctus said, as if Agron wasn’t sitting right there. “I’m well acquainted with your brother’s eyes and their disapproval trying to force me into death.”

Duro turned to Agron. “Don’t do that; it might be the one thing _actually_ capable of killing him.”

Agron shook his head. “You two had your first fight over the proper way to brush your teeth.”

Duro grinned. “Technically, our first fight was after he decided to act like shrapnel in his stomach wasn’t a big deal.”

“You weren’t _together_ then,” Agron said.

“Well, it depends on how you define—” Auctus’ words stopped when Kore slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Dad, I love you. I love Duro. I do not want to know more than I already do.”

“I second that,” Varro said. 

“Well, I don’t,” Aurelia disagreed. “I’d love to hear more.”

“Thirded and majority rules,” Barca yelled above the debate. “Like Kore, I love you both, but there are certain things I never want to know.” 

The laughter felt good as it filled the room. Things felt light for the first time in a very long while. Agron had some reservations about the trip when he finally gave into Auctus and Aurelia’s demands for a complete overhaul of _The Boat_ , but now, with his family around him and Nasir at his side, he was hard pressed to remember why. It wasn’t as important as the smiling faces of those gathered around the table.


	16. A Case of Thrilling Heroics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For an anon who wanted Agron/Nasir "Call Me" in the Space!AU.

“You’re too fucking noble for your own good,” Gannicus yelled at him even as Agron’s vision started to black out. “Who dies on a charity mission for an orphanage?”

Agron would’ve laughed if it wasn’t for the blood filling his mouth. It _was_ funny though it that sad sort of way. He never would’ve taken this mission if they hadn’t been relaxing on Adonis. If he’d just stuck to the sky, well, they’d have probably end up dead in the air, but that’d still be better than his last breath being full of the musty stench of Gannicus’ transport. 

“You’re not allowed to fucking die on me, you got that?” Gannicus said. He slapped Agron’s face. “Do you copy, Stieber?”

Agron tapped Gannicus’ wrist twice to convey he did. He wanted to ask him to hit the comms to call Duro, Nasir, their whole family, but right now he’d rather Gannicus just concentrate on flying. He had to _try_ though, just in case this was it.

“Du..zir,” he forced out between the gurgling liquid of blood and saliva in his mouth.

“Stop talking,” Gannicus ordered.

Agron tapped his wrist twice again.

It was the last thing he remembered.

*******************

There was something soft under Agron’s fingers. It wasn’t slick, or silky, just soft. There were beeping sounds around his head. He could hear the low hum of some old Space Miners’ song. Agron tried to open his eyelids, but they felt heavy. He thought about the softness under his fingers again and traced it. He touched something smooth that had to be skin, before going back to the softness. Agron fought again to open his eyes, and this time, he succeeded. The light was too much and a garbled word he intended to be _fuck_ came out of his mouth.

The lights immediately dimmed. “Agron?” Auctus asked.

Agron smacked his lips. They weren’t chapped like the last time he came out of a medically-induced sleep. His throat wasn’t dry either. Someone had taken damn good care of him this time. 

“Present,” he said as he opened his eyes again. From the heavy fabric curtains, he was in a medical room on Adonis. Agron glanced down to the bed, where his fingers rested in Nasir’s hair. Dark smudges were under his eyes, speaking to a lack of sleep. Agron looked down at his own body, and the many bandages there. He frowned at the pain in his side and remembered. The fucking job with Gannicus and the former mine field that was obviously still active. That had to have fucked up the tattoo on his torso.

“Welcome to the Shrapnel Wound Club,” Auctus whispered. Duro was at his feet, head resting in his lap, looking nearly as wiped out as Agron felt. “I’m under orders to tell you not to do it again.”

Seeing that Duro was okay, Agron turned his gaze back to Nasir, to the fingers clenched in Agron’s blankets, carefully slid in between the wires and mediwrap going every which way. His face was turned towards Agron; his neck had to be sore.

“They were both awake for three days until Aurelia and Pietros tranqued them,” Auctus said.

Agron clenched his fists as he tried to recall the past few days. He remembered a lot of yelling, from various voices, even Janus and Adela. “I take it I have Barca to thank?”

“And Laeta,” Auctus said. “Our newest stray is surprisingly good at triage. Kore had a few ideas from handling injuries on the farm. We should make an addendum to the handbook. Pietros has already started writing the suggestions out in the official medical jargon. Barca may even win a prize again.”

Agron huffed out a laugh, then bit back a groan as his ribs screamed at him. “How did the ribs happen?”

“You sort of flat-lined for a bit there,” Auctus said.

Agron’s eyes widened and he turned to meet Auctus’ gaze. He looked closer at Duro curled around him, the dark circles under his eyes, the bruises on his arms. Auctus probably had to hold him back at one point. “Just how badly did Duro freak the fuck out?”

Auctus’ smile was grim. “He went silent. Nasir followed right after Gannicus told him you asked for them both. He was feeling mighty guilty about not making the call so you could hear their voices.”

“Good thing it wasn’t my time to say so long,” Agron said. He thought of Duro, how he would be the last of their immediate family living if Agron went. He’d promise to be more careful, but that was impossible in their lives. “Maybe we all need to join Kore on that farm.”

Auctus scoffed. “And ruin my Kore-girl’s business plan? I don’t fucking think so, Stieber.” 

Duro started to stir, and both Agron and Auctus held their breath as he blinked awake. There was confusion there as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Duro looked at the floor, then dawning realization occurred. He tried to get stand up, but his legs wouldn’t corporate. Agron tried to lunge forward to catch him by instinct, but Auctus was there. Nasir startled awake too, immediately grabbing for Agron’s monitor.

“I think everyone needs to take a deep breath right now,” Agron said. 

“And possibly change your sheets,” Duro said. He wrinkled his nose. “Apparently Barca misplaced that catheter.”

“Fuck you,” Agron said.

“Bro, we’ve been over this: I’m not down with the incest, or, in this case, the watersports,” Duro said. He pulled himself upwards by using Auctus and hobbled over to Agron’s bedside. He slapped the top of Agron’s head. “That being said, you ever fucking do that shit again, I will have Barca revive you _one last time_ , so just I can punch some sense into you. You’re only supposed to die when we’re both old, and full of wrinkles, and Janus and Adela’s grandbabies are snapping at our heels. Do you fucking copy on that?”

Agron nodded. He wasn’t tearing up at all, so Duro couldn’t be either. “I copy.” 

“We’ll be by later,” Auctus said. Duro nodded and gave Agron a sloppy forehead kiss before stumbling over on still-asleep legs to Auctus. 

Nasir waited until they’d left to move. He slid next to Agron in the bed, mindful of all the various bandages and monitoring equipment, and laid his head down over Agron’s heart. They just stayed like that for a moment, sharing the same breathing pattern, as their fingers rubbed together.

“This isn’t what you promised me,” he murmured. Lips pressed to Agron’s skin, and warm tears started to pool there. “You dying was not part of the proposal for my great adventure.”

“I did promise to make your blood rush,” Agron joked. It hurt to smile, but he had to at the blush that stained Nasir’s cheeks even among the tears. Nasir was clearly as drained as Agron felt. It was hard to keep a stiff-upper-lip when that tired, drugged up, and emotionally wrung out; Agron knew, he’d been on the other side way too many fucking times. He tightened his grip on Nasir’s hand. “I swear the shrapnel wounds get everyone here eventually.”

“You need to add that to your ship rules then; I don’t recall reading that part of the waiver,” Nasir said. 

“Well, when your adventure started with capture and imprisonment, I had to do something to top the jailbreak.”

Nasir’s chin trembled as raised his head and looked at Agron. The fingers of his free hand traced old scars, ones Nasir wasn’t even there to witness, and he shook his head. “Next time, just give me a flying lesson. And for the love of the stars, if Gannicus asks you to help on a pro bono job _anywhere_ near a former fucking mine field, you tell him to fuck off, or I’ll do it for you. I can’t promise your friendship will remain in-tact after I’m finished.”

Nasir looked more determined than Agron had ever seen him; even that time they got stranded, so he didn’t bother to argue. “I won’t. I’m sorry, if I scared you. I wasn’t exactly calm about it myself.”

“Scared doesn’t begin to cover it,” Nasir said. He rested his hand back down and sighed. “Once you’re out of this bed, which Barca thinks should be in three more days, we’re going to have a _long_ discussion about what taking a vacation means. I will talk, you will listen, and then you will agree that no more jobs shall be taken until _after_ we are back home and you’ve had a proper recovery.”

_Home_. Nasir had called _The Boat_ home. “I love you,” he suddenly blurt out.

Nasir snorted. “If it’s not fucking obvious by now that I love you too, then we need to have another discussion before the vacation one. Now shut up and let me remember why I thought it as a good idea to ruin my neck and spine at your bedside.”

Agron was recovering from a hole in his side, he was sure Barca had to re-construct an organ or two, his whole body from mid-section to groin was in mediwrap, but he was more happy in that moment than he had been in months.


End file.
